


One Dead Broad, One Dead Cop

by Freelance7



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1940s, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Detective Noir, Detectives, F/F, F/M, Fighting, Film Noir, Intense, Los Angeles, Mystery, Racism, Romance, Scandal, Sexism, World War II, gruesome, mafia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-29
Updated: 2015-07-09
Packaged: 2018-03-09 13:11:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 73,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3250931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freelance7/pseuds/Freelance7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two years after the war, homicide detective Eren Jaeger is still haunted from the horrors he has seen, and nothing seems to help. And after the death of who he would call a friend, he will see more of those horrors. Will Detective Jaeger be able to get to the bottom of this case and retain his sanity?<br/>Contains Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Sexual Themes, Drug and Alcohol Use, and maybe Nudity</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hit

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Well here we are, new series, and in a genre I love. Noire! This takes place in the 1940s (more specifically around 1947). Warning: There will be extreme racism and sexism. That is just how those times were.

**Chapter 1: Hit**

 

“Say, Marc, what brand is this pill?” The vice detective asked his partner, passing the cigarette to him. The former man, looked out the window, his light brown eyes looking at the dark neighborhood in which they were parked in.

“Lucky Strike, Jean,” His partner replied, putting the cigarette in between his lips and sucking. He blew the smoke out the window into the night sky, “It’s Lucky Strike.”

Jean wrinkled his nose, “I was always a Camel kind of fella.”

Jean’s partner snorted, “Did your wife get you onto those?”

“No, Marco. I liked them before I met her. The war got me onto them.”

“How is Mikasa anyway?”

Jean ran a hand through his ash-brown hair, “Great...she is doing great…bitchin’ at times, but that’s because of the baby, so I let it go.”

“How many months does she have left?”

“If I remember correctly...three, I believe...”

“Wow...it was as if it was yesterday that you two got married.”

“Yeah...sorry I couldn’t make you best man, Marc. The bride just had to have her brother be it.”

“Don’t worry about it, J. Just make me best man at your next one.”

The two detectives shared a laugh, passing the cigarette between each other. Jean gave Marco his cigarette, pointing ahead, “That’s our guy.”

Marco’s light brown eyes followed the sleezy-looking man, “What’s his name?”

“Flegel...uh...Reeves. Flegel Reeves.”

“What signal will he give when it’s time to bust?”

“He will enter the bathroom and turn the light on and off three times, three seconds apart.”

“Then we can bust these sex and drug dealers?”

“Damn straight.”

“Are the cops around?”

“They are hidden, in their cars, ready to come out when we give the go ahead.”

“Alright, alright...everything is good then.” Marco sighed, blowing smoke out while flicking the cigarette away.

Flegel stood in front of the target house, adjusting his tie and breathing deep before walking up to the door. He raised his fist and knocked on the door gently, looking over his shoulder and seeing the detectives in their car, a red Cadillac Series 62 Convertible with the hood up,  just to make sure they were there.

The door opened, revealing a black man, hands clasped together as he looked down at the white man. Their mouths moved, words were exchanged, and Flegel was allowed entrance.

The two detectives waited in silence, the suspense building up as their four eyes stayed on bathroom window.

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared, and was gone just as fast as it came. Jean counted to three. _1...2...3-there it is!_ Another flash of light! They just needed one more.

_1...2...3…_

The light flashed for a third and final time.

Jean nodded to his partner, “Let’s move, Marc!” He said, reaching in the back seat and pulling out his green fedora to place it on his head, sliding his fingers across the rim. Marco pulled off his tan fedora and smoothed his parted black hair before placing it back on.

They both opened the doors, got out, and slammed them together. As they walked across the street, they reached into their jackets and pulled out their pistols. Jean raised a finger in the air and twirled it around. Instantly police vehicles drove down the street, their sirens wailing along the way, the sound piercing the air.

As Jean and Marco ran up to the front door, they could hear the men inside shouting, “Da coppahs ah here!” “It’s da black and white!” “Hide that, hide it!”

Jean and Marco took cover on both sides of the door, looking as the cops backed them up, with their revolvers and shotguns at the ready.

The two detectives looked at each other. They nodded and Jean stepped out of cover and kicked the door open. The two detectives, as well as plenty of police officers, stormed the small house, aiming guns at every man inside, who held their hands up, shouting, “Watch it with the gat, man!” “Put the bean shooter away!” “Get that gun outta mah face!”

Jean pointed Marco to a room, “Check that room! Anything illegal, reefers, dope, anything, bring it out to the main room, I am gonna check this room! One of you guys get Flegel out of the bathroom!” He said, walking down a hall towards what should be the bedroom.

When he reached the door, he took a step back and kicked the door open.

“Found something!” He heard his partner shout.

Jean looked around the room he was in. Walking over to some drawers, he opened one and began to rummage through it, “What’dya find?” He shouted back, pushing aside some underwear.

“Some Reefers! Some cocaine! And…oh, lookie here! Some hop!”

“Only some?”

“Yup!”

Jean sighed, pulling the drawer out before walking out to the main room, his hands on his hips. He looked down, “No...no way! There is more! I have heard about tons of drugs in this household! Where is it?” He turned to one of the criminals “Come on, you bunch of fucking negroes, tell me!”

One man shook his head, “I have no idea what you are talking about!”

“And the children?”

“What children?”

“Another thing I have heard. You guys are running a child prostitution ring. Where is it?”

“Come on, man, that’s a bum rap!”

Jean turned around, waving his arm around, “Tear this place up! There has to be some sort of secret door, or some shit!”

The police officers not watching the criminals nodded, “Yes, sir!”

They pulled out drawers, pulled books off of shelves, pulled down paintings, turning the whole place into a mess.

Marco walked over to a carpet, crouching down and pulling it out of the way to reveal a wooden trap door, “Jean, I got something!”

Jean walked over, looking down at the trap door, he smiled, gesturing for his friend to open it, “You may have the honors.”

Marco smiled and opened the trapdoor, pulling his angle-head flashlight out and turning it on, looking at the subterranean part of the house. He then put the flashlight in his suit pocket and climbed down the ladder.

Jean waited, when he heard his partner’s voice, “Jean, come down here, you want to see this!”

The lighter haired man pulled out an angle-head flashlight and also put it in his suit pocket before he climbed down the ladder. When he reached the bottom, he turned around and pulled out the flashlight, aiming it around the room. In one corner, laid the rest of the drugs on one table. And in the other corner, a sight that made his eyes widen.

Children of all different colors and genders were huddled up in a corner, looking afraid. He walked over and crouched down in front of them, “Don’t worry, kids, you’re safe now.”

He stood up and looked at Marco, “This will get those negroes down for a long time.”

****  


“So how’s the baby, M?” The brunette detective asked, his green eyes looking over at his partner, an older man with short, straight black hair and wearing a white button up shirt with a grey vest and a leather shoulder holster crossing his back, holding both his Colt under one shoulder and magazines under another. He was working on papers at his desk in front of the former detective as he sat at his desk, phone in hand. The sounds of a storm were rumbling through the sky.

“Ugh...do you realize how much a Kirschtein baby kicks? I hate it!...but I love the baby, thank you for asking…”

“Jean is treating you right? Like a lady? Like his wife?”

“Of course, Eren, he is the perfect gentleman. How has he been treating you, vice to homicide?”

“Like an ass, but I can get used to it. Vice and homicide always tease.” Eren saw his partner look over his shoulder at the younger one, a lit cigarette in his mouth, his sharp grey eyes cocking an eyebrow at Eren’s conversation before shaking his head, grunting and getting back to his work.

“So Eren...any ladies in your life?”

Eren glanced at his partner again before he picked up the rotary receiver and stood up, turning around the corner as his desk was close to one of the two doorways in the detective room. He leaned against the wall next to the detective room entrance and pulled the phone back up to his ear, “No...no I do not, Mikasa. I am just...not ready…”

“Eren, it’s been two years. I know it’s hard to get back into civilian life, I saw Jean go through it when he got back from Germany three years ago. But he got over it and is soon to become the father of your nephew.”

“Not blood related, remember that.”

“It counts, Eren, we are still family, even if I am a completely different race.”

“Half-different race. Your father was part German, remember?”

“Whatever, Mr. Jaeger! The point still stands! You need to get over the war, and find a nice girl. Go to a club or...something…”

Eren laughed, looking down at his dark blue pinstripe vest, red tie, white button up shirt, dark blue slacks, and brown leather shoes,  “Yeah...no way am I doing that…”

He heard Mikasa laugh, then grunt, “Oh god...fucking hate this kid right now...but I love it too…”

Eren smiled, “Well anyway, I should get going. At anytime, I could be needed.”

“Alright, Detective Jaeger, good luck!”

“Thanks! You too!”

And with that, Eren put the phone back on the receiver, ending the call. He sighed and turned back around the corner to see his partner looking at him, cigarette in between his two fingers, giving a slight grin, “Having lady troubles, Eren?” He asked before putting the cigarette back in his mouth.

Eren sighed and placed the rotary phone down on his desk, sitting at his chair. He reached into his dark blue jacket hanging from the coat hanger on his wall, pulled out his chrome plated cigarette case and opened it up, seeing ten cigarettes lined up perfectly. He reached in to pull out one, “You, Levi…” He began, placing the cigarette in his mouth and putting the case away, “...need to learn to mind your own business.” He said, reaching into his vest’s chest pocket to take out a black crackle zippo lighter, flipping it open and pulling it up to the tip of his cigarette, flicking it until a flame lit the tip. He sucked in and snapped the lighter shut, putting it back in his pocket.

“Well when you are talking about it out loud like that, you invite everyone in the vicinity into your life.” Levi said, giving a short laugh before turning around and getting back to his paperwork.

Eren pulled the cigarette out, blowing smoke into the air, “Was it that loud?”

Levi sighed, “Yes, Jaeger. It was.”

“Well it doesn’t matter to you. What do you have again? Like...ten...fifteen kids?”

Levi turned back around, “Six kids, Eren. Hange would love it if you respected that.”

Eren laughed, “I do respect it, man. ‘S a good amount of kids to take care of.”

Levi rolled his eyes, “Get back to work, Jaeger.” He said, turning around.

Eren nodded and placed the cigarette back in his mouth, thoughts of what his sister said running through his mind. _Life is just too busy for me right now to be worrying about women,_ he thought to himself, looking at the pictures on his desk.

The first one was one of him and Mikasa as children with their mother, Karla, sitting next to each other and smiling at the camera. The next one was him as a late teen before getting on the bus to go to training camp. Mikasa had her arms wrapped around him, and the surrounding men were smiling and snickering. The last one was him as the best man at Mikasa’s wedding. _I remember I kept on threatening Jean if he were to hurt Mikasa,_ he thought to himself, giving a short laugh.

His eyes settled back on the first one. More specifically on his mother, who passed away when he was thirteen. His father took the picture, and he passed away when Eren was away in Okinawa. He didn’t get to see the funeral.

Suddenly the sound of doors bursting open downstairs made it’s way to Eren’s ear. He and Levi both turned around to look at the door to the detective room.

“We got a _big_ hit tonight, fellas!” They heard a voice downstairs say.

Eren and Levi looked at each other before getting up. The latter grabbed his grey hat and put it on. Eren left his as he walked out of the detective room and went downstairs. When he reached the bottom, he saw a group of negroes getting pulled along, complaining and whining.

Jean stood with Marco Bott by the door, watching the criminals, “When the judge gets to you, ya’ll are all gonna spend a good amount of years in the joint, you bunch of child snatching creeps!” The horse faced one shouted, smiling to himself. His eyes glanced up at Eren and Levi watching the men get pulled away.

Eren pulled out his cigarette, “What do you got them for?”

Jean watched the last one go by before walking up to the two homicide detectives with his partner. He took out his silver cigarette case, opening it and pulling a cigarette out before placing it between his lips, “Well...we got them for…uh...” He started, listing them off in his head as he took out his crackle zippo lighter from his grey vest chest pocket, “A whole shitload of drugs…” He continued, lighting his cigarette. He sucked in, pulled it out, and blew smoke off to the side, “And child prostitution. The children are now being identified to get them back home to their parents.”

Levi’s eyebrows raised slightly, “Nice one, you two. I am sure you will get a lot of praise from the other guys.”

Marco smirked, “I hope so. It took us a lot of work to set this thing up.”

Eren smiled, “Well, why don’t we have a little celebration?”

Levi looked at his younger partner, pulling his cigarette out and nodding, “Good idea, I got a bottle of scotch in my desk and a few glasses. Anyone up for a drink?”

“Is that a trick question?” Jean asked, all four of them giving a short laugh before Levi gestured for them to follow and walked upstairs. They followed suit.

Marco looked at Eren, “Say, Eren, you never said how you got to become a detective so fast.”

Eren glanced at Marco, “No one asked. When I got back from the war, I was given a job as an officer. After a year my work was good enough that, along with a recommendation from Jean and my Medal of Honor, I got promoted to Homicide.”

Jean snapped his head up, “How did you get the Medal of Honor, Jaeger? I was meaning to ask you about that.”

 

Once they reached Levi’s desk, the older detective opened a cupboard and pulled out a bottle of scotch and four glasses. He put out his cigarette on the ashtray and opened the bottle before pouring it into the glasses, glancing at the three men in front of him.

Eren watched his partner pour the scotch, “Jean...I don’t like to talk about it…”

Jean sighed, “Was it that bad?”

Eren shrugged, “I wouldn’t necessarily call it bad, it was just...traumatizing…”

The vice detective nodded, “Alright, I understand.”

Once Levi poured the liquid into all of the glasses, he gave one to each detective, taking one in his own hand. He looked around at them, nodding as he held the glass out, “To another successful bust, created by L.A.’s finest vice detectives.”

They all smiled and raised their glasses, “Here, here!” They said in unison before downing the glasses.

Marco placed his glass down on Levi’s desk before looking at his watch, “Oh, I gotta get outta here! Meeting up with a lady friend for a date.” He said, looking down at himself, “Uh...how do I look?” He asked, obviously nervous.

Jean laughed, putting his cigarette in his mouth and reached over to straighten his partner’s tie, “You look fine, Marc. Go get her!”

Marco smiled and jogged out of the room, stopping at his desk to get a file out of it, “Gotta look at these reports tonight,” He said, before leaving the three detectives standing there.

Jean pulled out his cigarette, giving a short laugh which resulted in a puff of smoke blasting out of his mouth, “It’s about time.”

Levi nodded, pulling his hat off and hanging it on the hanger on the wall next to his desk.He sat down, “Well, fellas,” He said, reaching into his hanging grey jacket and taking out his leather cigarette case with silver lining to open it. He pulled a cigarette out and placed it in between his lips. Putting the case away, he pulled out a brass crackle zippo lighter with a french coin on the side, flicking it open and lighting his cigarette, saying “I have to get some work done.” Before snapping it shut and putting it back in his vest, “So if you are going to talk, do it outside of this room. I need to concentrate if I want to get these reports in by tomorrow.”

Eren looked at Jean, who nodded and gestured for the younger detective to follow, “Come on, Eren, let’s leave the old man to his work.”

As they were walking out, a paper ball from Levi was thrown at Jean’s head, tipping his hat over. His hand instantly went up to steady it, laughing as he walked out.

Jean walked up to one of the desks and leaned against it, pulling his cigarette out, “So Eren...when are you gonna get a moll?”

Eren sighed and leaned against the wall, pulling his cigarette out too, “I don’t know, Jean. The whole thing with Okinawa still haunts me. And I can’t really find the perfect girl.”

Jean shook his head, looking down at his feet, “Eren, you can’t have that stuff stuck in your mind. It will ruin you. Go out there, find a nice dame, marry her. When I met your sister, it didn’t take long before the horrors I have seen in Germany were washed away. And look at me now, I am gonna be a father soon.”

Eren looked off to the side, crossing his arms, “I know you are right, Jean, and I am trying. But...it was just too much for me, you know? I can still smell the burning flesh from those caves.”

Jean sighed, “Normandy was just as bad. I saw many of my buddies get torn down by machine gun nests. It was...horrid. But you move on.” He said, looking at the clock, “It’s almost nine o’clock, I should get home before Mikasa panics that I am dead.” He said, pushing himself off of the desk. He put the cigarette back in his mouth, “See you tomorrow, Eren. Sleep well.” He said before going down the stairs.

Eren watched him and nodded, “I’ll try...” He muttered, holding the cigarette between two fingers. He sighed before walking back into the detective room.

Eren sat down at his desk, putting the cigarette in his mouth as he began to organize the reports he had. He heard his partner’s voice, “Is Jean gone?”

Eren looked up at Levi, nodding, “Uh...yeah, he just left…”

Levi cocked an eyebrow, “Is something wrong?”

“Well...it’s just that...people keep on asking me when I am gonna get a girl...”

Levi gave a short laugh, blowing out some smoke, “They worry about you, Eren. You’ve been in war, you have seen horrors that no one else has seen. What they don’t seem to understand is that there will come a time where you find that girl. You just have to be patient.”

Eren nodded, “How did you meet Hange?”

Levi looked out the window, seeing that it was starting to rain, “I don’t think I have ever told you but...I was born in New York, but I lived mostly in Chicago, with a good mother, but no father. So I had caused a lot of trouble. One time I was arrested and instead of going to jail, they put me in battle against the Germans, in the First World War. I worked the trenches, got trench foot, and eventually, I got hit with mustard gas. Most of the men died. I was lucky to have survived. I had woken up in a hospital. A nurse saw me awake and told me the war was over. Cute young thing. She took care of me, with my blisters and burns and all the horrible pain. After I was fully treated, I was about to be released, when I asked the nurse on a date. She said yes. One year later, we got married.”

Eren cocked an eyebrow, “Wow. And here you are today, a lovely father of six. How old are you?”

“I am around forty eight, Eren. Trust me, boy, you will find her.” He said before turning back to his work. Eren looked back down at the reports on his desk. Might as well pull an all-nighter with Levi.

Half an hour into leafing through reports of people claiming to be related to the Black Dahlia Killer, Eren’s phone began to ring. He looked at it, seeing Levi turn around to look at him. Eren looked back and picked up the phone, hesitating before putting it up to his ear, “Detective Eren Jaeger, Homicide.”

“Detective Jaeger? This is Officer Wagner. Badge number 1259. There has been a shooting at The Warrior Nightclub. Two dead, several injured.”

Eren’s eyes widened, the storm outside brewing and pouring down rain, “What?”

Levi cocked an eyebrow as Eren glanced at him, the young one speaking again, “Did you call the coroner?”

“Yes sir. I was first reporting.”

“Alright, stay there, Wagner, we will be there.”

Eren hung up and began to put on his shoulder holster and dark blue pinstripe suit, looking at Levi, “There has been a shooting at The Warrior Nightclub. We should get going.”

Levi nodded, getting his grey jacket on, “I’ll drive.” He said, putting out his cigarette.

Eren nodded and put out his cigarette, picking up his dark blue fedora and placing it on his head, “Alright.” He said before they both ran out the door.

Officer Thomas Wagner stood outside of The Warrior Nightclub with several other police officers, pushing away civilians and journalists as the rain came down hard. Pushing away the vultures was harder, as they just _needed_ to get in. The first newspaper to get the latest huge scoop gets a lot of readers, and a lot of money.

Suddenly, a black Lincoln Continental sped around the corner, screeching to a halt across the street from the nightclub, the droplets sounding like bullets as they slammed against the metal. The journalists turned around and began running across the rain-slicked street, seeing that the homicide detectives have arrived.

This was Eren’s first shooting, so he was not used to all of the journalists running up and asking him questions. Their cameras flashed in his face. He was blinded.

A hand reached out and grabbed him, pulling him away from the flashes. Eren blinked to

see his partner Levi leading him along, “Always ignore the vultures, Eren.”

All Eren could do was nod as they walked pass the police barriers. Levi looked around at the officers, “Which one of you is Wagner?”

An officer with blonde hair and pronounced sideburns stepped forward, his light-brown eyes switching from Eren to Levi, “I am.”

Levi nodded and gestured for him to follow the two detectives as they walked into the nightclub. It was a normal nightclub, with a stage and tables with chairs all around. But it was empty. Desolate.

All three of the men were soaking wet,

Thomas nodded. Levi waited for Eren to speak up, as he still needs to learn.

Eren glanced at Levi and blinked, “Oh, right. Officer Wagner, you were first reporting, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Tell us what happened.”

“Well I was on my beat at the corner of Figueroa Street and 1st Street when I heard a rapid succession of gunshots from the next street over. I ran fast to see many people running out of the nightclub. I pulled my gun out and ran inside. The first floor was fine.” He said, as they were walking up to the second floor, “But the second floor was...horrible…”

As they stepped up to the second floor, which had a view of the first floor and stage, Eren’s eyes widened in horror.

Tables flipped, chairs knocked over, with gunshots peppering every surface and blood splattered everywhere.

Thomas continued, “I called an ambulance immediately, as many people were wounded. And I called the coroner when...when I saw these two.”

Eren looked ahead, stopping in his tracks with Levi as they saw the two dead people in the booth.

The woman was a beautiful dame, wearing a black night dress with black roses embroidered in, a low hanging neckline. Her head was bent back and looked to the side, her face stuck in horror as her floppy hat stood up because her head pushed it up. Her black hair was in loose pigtails, both hanging down. She was wearing black elbow length gloves, one of her black high heels have fallen off, and she was wearing no makeup except for lipstick which was smeared and ruined by the blood falling out from her lip. Her body was littered with gunshots, the blood still fresh from the recent kill.

A young man was leaning out towards her, his upper body splayed across the table, as it looked like he tried to protect her. His tan three piece suit was covering in blood and bullets, his tan fedora on the girl’s lap. His black hair was messed up, the fringes in every which way. In his right hand grasped a Colt Detective Special. The worst part was, Eren was talking to him two hours ago with his partner. And now here lies the body of Detective Marco Bott, dead with his date.

Levi blinked before shaking his head, “I have...a call to make…keep watch Eren...talk to Officer Wagner…”

Eren stared at the scene before him, his ears blocking out what Levi was telling him. _How could this have happened? Who would have done this? Who is this poor woman?_ Pictures of his past rushed through his mind. Burning bodies, headless children, torn up friends...

“...en...Eren...Eren!” Levi grabbed Eren by the collar and shook him, snapping him out of his trance, “Eren!”

The younger detective looked at Levi with wide eyes, who was looking at him, “Y-yes, sir?”

Levi let go of his partner, and gestured to the officer, “Talk with Wagner until the coroner gets here, I have a call to make.”

Eren looked at the officer, “Yes sir.”

Levi nodded and walked away, leaving Eren with Wagner.

Eren kept his eyes on the officer, and not on the scene next to him, “Officer Wagner, did you see any potential suspects running from the scene?”

Wagner nodded, “I...I saw two men with submachine guns running from the scene. Their faces were covered, I am sorry, detective.”

Eren shook his head, “Don’t worry about it, you have done more than enough. Of the ones wounded, were there any that have seen the crime?”

Thomas shrugged, “I...I-I don’t know, detective. I was panicking. I wanted to get an ambulance here as soon as I could.”

Eren nodded, “Yes, yes, of course, we will, uh...check with them later. Anything else out of the ordinary?”

Thomas looked down in thought, “Uhm...I cannot say I did, detective, I can...not say I did.” He said, turning his head back up.

Eren nodded, “Well, those are all of the questions I can think of. If you are off duty, then go home, get some rest.”

Thomas nodded and began to walk towards the stairs. Eren pulled off his hat and ran his shaky fingers through his hair, looking back at the scene before him. He looked down at his hat, “We will get those bastards.” He whispered to the two dead people in the room. He sat at a chair and turned his hat over in his hands, looking at every angle of it, when he saw Levi come up the stairs, his face emotionless as almost always..

“Hey, Levi, who were you calling?”

“You will find out.”

Eren cocked an eyebrow, then looked back at the scene, “What...what do you think of this?”

Levi shrugged, “To tell you the truth, I don’t know. The men could be from a family, or working on their own accord. We won’t know until we get more details. Until then, we rest. You should go back to your house and sleep. Now Eren. I got things here.”

Eren shook his head, “Levi, I ca-”

“That...is an order...from a superior.” Levi said.

Eren sighed and was about to open his mouth to protest, then shut it and nodded, “Alright, Levi.”

He turned around and walked down the stairs, his back facing the gruesome scene. As he walked down the stairs, a familiar voice was heard from outside.

“What the hell is going on here? I was at home with my wife and get a call that some shooting has happened! I am in vice!”

Eren’s eyes widened as he turned the corner to the entrance, watching a soaking wet Jean push past him, “Outta the way, Jaeger! This better be important.” He said as he began to go up the stairs.

Eren followed after him, “Wait, Jean, this isn’t for you!”

“You’re right, but I want to know why I was fucking called here!”

As they reached the second floor, Eren walked beside Jean, “Who called you here?”

“I did.” Levi replied, stepping out of the way for Jean to see what happened.

Jean stepped past him, looking at Levi as he reached into his jacket for his cigarette case,  “Why the hell was I-” Jean turned his head to look at the scene before him. The cigarette case slipped from his fingers, banging on the ground with a _clink,_ “No…” He muttered, falling to his knees in front of his dead friend, “It-it can’t be him...we...we just talked to him…”

Eren looked at his brother-in-law with pity, Levi with a blank face, but some sadness in his eyes.

For Eren, this was going to be his first big case. For Levi, this is just another case of a shooting, with special circumstances. For Jean, this whole case has just turned his entire world upside down.

 

All because of one dead cop, and one dead broad.

 


	2. Leads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a case like this, who knows what it could lead to?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: New chapter, very important character, I hope you all enjoy!

**Chapter 2: Leads**

 

_Battle of Attu. Cold. Painful. Couldn’t stay warm. We moved slowly, pushing our way up the mountain passes. We killed, and they killed. I held on to my M1 Garand, at the ready in case a Jap jumps me. I will stab his guts out._

_We set up camp. Sounds of men screaming filled the air, combined with the noise of saws cutting through bone as a good amount of men got frostbite. Some are already dead from the cold. Sounds of wheels carrying artillery guns in the tundra mud turning, only digging deeper and deeper._

_A different screaming came our way. We were being attacked! Japs poured out from everywhere, stabbing the men with their bayonets. One ran at me. I moved out of the way and stabbed him through the temple. They continued to attack. My first operation, and already blood is all over me. Blood just kept on falling on me. More and more blood. I craved it._

 

_I was a murderer._

 

_I was a soldier._

Eren gasped for air as he shot up out of his bed, his hair sticking to his forehead from the sweat running all over his body. He coughed, the gasp choking him out. Recovering, he looked out the window of his two story house, seeing cars drive by in the beautiful California sunlight.

 _Battle of Attu,_ he thought to himself, _my first time fighting. 7th Infantry Division. My captain died there, in the bonzai attack._ He inhaled and put his face in his hands, sliding his hands up and over his head, exhaling. _These nightmares...they never stop._

He sat there in bed for a few minutes, trying to purge the memories from his mind, before he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. He looked around at his bedroom, meant for two. His sister and Jean, along with his money, were able to get him this house. _With all of my blood money,_ he thought to himself as he began to get changed. As he tied his tie, his finger fumbled and shook, but eventually he got it tied. The young veteran looked at himself in the mirror, sighing before walking out of his room.

Descending the stairs, he saw it. His achievement. His award. It was framed by the door, his Medal of Honor. _For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty,_ he thought to himself, walking past the award, he looked at the kitchen.

He took a step in, his eyes scanning the room for something he needed. _Right now,_ he thought to himself, his eyes settling on the almost-finished bottle of whiskey off on a table, gleaming from the sunlight shooting through the nearby window. He didn’t know how long that was left there.

Eren walked over to a cupboard and opened it, pulling out a small glass. Turning back to the table, he reached over and grabbed the bottle, putting the glass on the table to unscrew the top. He looked through the tube at the almost amber-like liquid inside, then tipped it over the glass to pour what was left.

Eren picked up the glass and downed it in one go, the alcohol burning his throat. _But it helped,_ he thought to himself, turning around to sit on the table, sighing. Should I eat? He asked himself.

He hopped off the table and walked out of the kitchen to the front door.

_Nah. I am not hungry today._

He opened the door and walked out, closing it behind him to look at his blue Oldsmobile S98 Convertible parked in his driveway. It was covered in droplets from last night’s storm. _Strange,_ he thought to himself, _how California weather is so bipolar._ The detective sighed before getting inside and turning the key in the ignition. _Time to get to work._

Parking his car in the lot of Central Station, he got out and walked to the front door, stepping in a few small rain puddles. He opened it to hear a loud bang and crash from some room. He walked up to the front desk, looking at the person manning it, “What was that noise?”

A shout was heard in the distance, the person at the desk pointed down the hall, “The vice detective is interrogating one of the niggers. He is getting _really_ violent.”

Eren cocked an eyebrow. He remembered from last night that Jean drove back to the police station, almost emotionless, after the sight of his dead friend shocked him. Eren was sent home by Levi, who said he will keep an eye on Jean. As he made his way down the hall, taking a left to arrive at the first interrogation room. There was a group of officers crowded around the window. Eren walked over and pushed a few aside to look.

Jean slammed his hand on the table that one of the sex dealers from last night was sitting at. Jean looked haggard, not wearing his jacket, his hair in a mess. His eyes looked tired and he seemed tipsy. He pointed at the negro, “I know you...fucking killed him! You...you did it!”

The man stared at the detective wide eyed, “What? That’s a bum rap, man! I was here the whole night when your little detective friend and his bitch got shot up! I am not fooling!”

Jean grabbed the table and pushed it to the side, reaching over and grabbing the man. He pulled him out of the chair, and pinned him against the window, pulling back his fist, “Fucking _liar!_ ”

Eren thought this was enough. He walked around the corner and opened the door, “Jean! Stop! Let go of the man!”

Jean turned his head to look at the homicide detective, his fist lowering, “But...but he did it! He killed Marco!”

“I am telling you, man, I did _not!_ ”

Jean raised his fist, “Shutup!”

Eren walked over and grabbed Jean’s wrist, pulling it down. He looked at the one way mirror, “Can one of you get in here and get the sex dealer back to his cell?” He grabbed Jean’s other wrist and squeezed it to make Jean drop the man. A cop came in and pulled the man’s hands behind his back before leading him away.

Jean wrenched himself out of Eren’s grasp, stumbling back, “He was the...the killer!”

Eren took a step forward and slapped Jean, making the latter stumble against a wall, “Sober up, you fucking drunk! It was _not_ him! He was in jail the whole time! Stop trying to find someone to blame!”

Jean frowned at Eren, “But...but who would it be?”

Eren sighed and grabbed Jean by the arm, pulling him along. Jean tried to wiggle out, but Eren’s grip was too firm. Eren held a hand out to push open the door to the men’s bathroom. He let go of Jean in front of one of the sinks.

Jean cocked an eyebrow, “W-why did you...pull me here?”

Eren grabbed Jean by the hair and shoved his face in the sink, turning the water on. Jean struggled as his face was washed out. His hands banged against Eren and the wall. Eventually, he was able to sputter, “S-stop!..Stop!”

Eren turned the water off and pushed Jean against the wall, making him fall on his rear. Water dripped from his hair, and his vest and button up shirt were soaked at the top. He looked up at Eren, who nodded to him, “You sober now?”

Jean slid his hand up his face, smoothing his hair. He spat some water out, “Yeah, yeah, I am!”

Eren nodded, holding a hand out, “Good. Now get up.”

Eren helped his brother-in-law get up on his feet, gesturing for him to follow the homicide detective.

Levi suddenly heard the racket downstairs stop. He looked up from his reports of the shooting, turning his head to peer over his own shoulder at the detective room door closest to the stairs. He shrugged and went back to the reports, looking at the pictures taken of the crime scene.

Suddenly, Jean walked in with Eren behind him. The smaller detective pointed at the seat of Jean’s desk, “Sit.”

Jean sat down and looked at Eren, glancing at Levi occasionally.

Levi cocked an eyebrow, “Why are you all wet? Did Eren hold you under a sink?”

Eren sighed, pulling a chair next to Jean’s desk, “No, it’s raining in the bathroom.”

Levi’s eyebrows went up as he looked back at the reports, “Hm...interesting weather…”

Eren sat down, looking at Jean, he narrowed his eyes, “I know a man better than this. A soldier who fought in Germany, who survived D-Day. He has seen many of his friends dying, just as much as I have. And this man is going to be a father soon, to my niece or nephew. Jean, I need you to be this man, for us, for Mikasa, for your unborn child. I need you to sober up and calm down. I need you to be a detective. L.A.’s finest.”

Jean stared at Eren before down at his hands, balling them into fists, “But...it was just...so sudden…”

Eren nodded, “So was Pearl Harbor…”

Jean looked back up, nodding, “You’re right. I will stop. I need to take this more seriously.”

Eren smiled and nodded, “Good.”

Just then, a tall blonde man walked in, his thick eyebrows raising up at the sight of the scene before him.

Levi looked at the man and stood up, “Captain Smith, good morning.” He said in his deadpan voice.

Homicide Captain Erwin Smith nodded to Levi, “Good morning, Levi. What is going on?”

Levi looked at the other two detectives, “Just a…’wake up call’...for Jean.”

Erwin nodded, “How is the Bott case?”

Levi shrugged, “Not much to go on yet. The coroner is checking the bodies. I was about to suggest that Detective Jaeger and I go back to the crime scene.”

The captain nodded, “Alright, get to it, boys! We need a cop killer off the streets!”

Levi nodded, already getting his jacket on, “Yes, sir. Come on, Eren.”

Eren nodded, leaving Jean and putting his chair back. He waited for his partner to leave the room before following after him. As they walked out the front doors, Eren pulled a cigarette out of his recently refilled case and put it in his mouth, lighting it before getting into Levi’s car. The car started up and left the station parking lot.

 

Levi turned down his radio, looking at Eren, who blew smoke out the window, “Close the window, Jaeger.”

Eren nodded and rolled the window up, turning his head to Levi, who nodded to him, “What are your thoughts on the case, Eren?”

The young detective looked ahead, thinking, “I don’t know, sir. It seems like we will be crossing into dangerous territory, but we can’t let a killer get away. I think we need to look close enough to find leads.”

Levi sighed, “To tell you the truth, Jaeger, I smell mafia all over this. I don’t think this was a random shooting.”

Eren nodded, “Neither do I, sir,” He said, looking out the window to see The Warrior Nightclub, temporarily closed down for obvious reasons, “Neither do I.”

 

The journalists trying to get in turned around to see the detectives car parking opposite to them, and began running across the street. Eren was about to get out, when Levi grabbed his arm. He looked at his older partner, “Remember what I said about the press, Eren, ignore them.”

Eren nodded before he got out, getting welcomed by flashes and a million questions. He and Levi both held up their hand to their face to block the blinding photography as they walked through the crowd, pushing them out of the way. As soon as they got past the barrier, the questions and flashing stopped.

Walking inside, Eren couldn’t help but notice that the club looked condemned, or dead. _I guess because nightclubs don’t work well in the day,_ he thought to himself.

It was then Eren thought of something, he pulled the cigarette out of his mouth, blowing smoke, “Hey, Levi...who owns this joint?”

Levi looked over as they walked into the main room, where some police officers lingered just in case a reporter got in. He looked at the room, “It’s owned by L.A.’s very own Annette Leonhart.”

Eren cocked an eyebrow, “Who?”

Levi’s eyebrows raised as he turned to look at Eren, “You don’t know? I thought you would, being a single young man and all. Annette Leonhart, twenty six years old, California’s sweetheart. Singer, actress, a rising star in our state...and maybe even the country.”

Eren blinked at Levi. _I have never heard of this girl,_ he thought to himself, scratching the back of his neck, “Uhm...w-what do we have on her?”

Levi and Eren began to walk up the stairs to the second floor. The former sighed, “Well, nothing, really. According to Mayor Reiss, she is a ‘well-mannered, respectful young lady.’ But there is one thing criminal relating to her. Her last name.”

Eren put the cigarette in his mouth, “Leonhart?”

Levi nodded, “Yes. The Leonhart family is a crime group based in Sacramento, and are slowly spreading out across California. Annette does admit that her father is the head of it, but also says that she wants nothing to do with what they do.”

Eren nodded again as they stepped up onto the second floor. Eren’s eyes snapped immediately to the crime scene. The bodies were gone, taken by the coroner, and all that remained were the holes in the upholstery and the blood on the walls.

Eren’s eyes scanned the scene, “What do _you_ think of her?” He asked, putting the cigarette in his mouth.

Levi looked at the scene, pulling out his case to get a cigarette to place between his lips. He lit it and sucked in, pulling it out to blow smoke, “My opinion? I think she is a good girl. She built this place, with money of her own, to give veterans a place to loosen up after the war. Access is free for all veterans. But off duty sailors still have to pay.”

Eren nodded, looking at the crime scene, “Well, enough about her, we can talk to her later. Are you noticing something with the, uh...the gunshots?”

Levi looked around, his eyes spotting it. He walked over to the booth to look closer at the holes, taking the cigarette out, “Yeah. They are mostly trained on one area: Marco’s spot.”

“That means that you were right, this was not a random shooting. These men were triggermen, specifically gunning for Marco.”

Levi stepped away from the booth, and putting the cigarette back in, “I think we should talk with the coroner, he could tell us more.”

Eren nodded, “Good idea.”

As they walked out of the nightclub, Levi looked side to side, pulling his cigarette out. He pointed to his car, tossing his key to Eren, “Go warm up the car. I am going to call KGPL.”

Eren caught the key and nodded, “Alright.” He said, jogging across the road to Levi’s car. The journalists followed after the younger one.

Levi turned to the right, walking down the sidewalk a bit before he reached a gamewell. He opened it and pulled out a phone, pulling the rotary dial all the way to zero before letting go.

He took a step back, looking over at Eren, who was sitting in the car, watching him, journalists swarming his side, when a voice came through.

“Hello?”

Levi turned his head back to the gamewell, “Yes, Operator? Give me Dispatch.”

“Putting you through now.”

Levi waited as he was being connected to dispatch.

“Dispatch.”

Levi cleared his throat, “Ackerman, badge eleven-ninety-three.”

“How may I help, Detective Ackerman?”

“Do I have any messages?”

“Let me check...yes, the coroner wants to say he is ready for you.”

Levi nodded, “Alright, we were just about to come anyway, thank you.” He said before hanging up the phone and closing the gamewell. He put his cigarette back in his mouth before he turned and walked towards the car, pushing past the vultures in suits and getting in the driver’s seat, “Checked my messages. Turns out, the coroner is ready.”

Eren looked ahead, “Let’s not keep him waiting.”

Levi parked his car in the lot of the coroner’s office, flicking his cigarette out the window. Eren got out first, looking at the building and dropping his cigarette. Levi got out, closing his door and gesturing for his partner to follow. Eren looked at Levi and nodded, closing his door and jogging around the car to follow him up to the front door. Levi opened it and walked in with Eren following behind.

A blonde man wearing glasses looked up to see the two detectives, “Eren, nice to see you again. And nice to meet you, Detective Levi.”

Eren gave a slight smirk, finding it strange to see his friend, “Armin? I thought we were working with Moblit.”

Armin walked out of his lab, “Uh, yeah, he switched to another division. I am the new coroner.”

Levi looked at the slightly taller man, nodding to him, “Well, welcome. KGPL told me you were ready.”

Armin looked at Levi and nodded, “Yes, come this way.” He said, walking into his lab, where two bodies were lying on a table, Marco and the dame.

Eren looked at the latter, “Has the woman been identified?”

Armin nodded, pointing to a counter, where a few things were spread about, “Over there.”

Eren and Levi walked up to the counter, looking at the items. The first was a black purse. Eren picked it up, while Levi looked at the jewelry next to the purse.

Eren opened the purse and looked at the items inside. He picked up what looked to be a driver’s license and pulled it up to look at it.

“Her name is Mina Carolina. She is twenty-five...and she is a long way from home.”

Levi looked over, “Where?”

“Texas.”

“Holy shit…”

“Yeah…” Eren said, looking at Armin, “Any next of kin?”

Armin nodded, “She has a mother. I have called her already. She will be flying in to identify the body.”

Eren nodded, putting the license back into the purse and reaching in to take out a picture. It was a picture of Mina standing next to a smaller blonde girl, they had their arms around each other’s shoulders and were smiling, the Hollywood sign in the background, “Who is this?”

Levi looked at the picture, “That’s her. That’s Annette Leonhart.”

Eren looked at the picture, “I expected her to be...taller…”

“That’s what everyone says.”

“So this Mina broad is friends with this famous star.”

“Apparently. I guess that explains this expensive jewelry.”

“Interesting…” Eren said, putting the picture back.

With nothing else important to the case left in the purse, Eren turned around to face Armin, “Anything else you got?”

Armin nodded, “You probably already knew this, but the gunmen shot the couple with submachine guns. More specifically, a Thompson M1928A1.”

Eren cocked an eyebrow, “How do you know?”

Armin pointed at the bodies, “The bodies, and the gunshots that I have counted at the scene, almost add up to one hundred bullets. They shot the couple with at least twenty-five each, then shot around the second floor before running out.”

“Round drums?”

“Yes, a magazine that usually only M1928A1s could take. Fifty rounds in each, they emptied their guns and ran. One more thing.”

Eren nodded, Levi turned around to look, “Yes?” The younger one asked.

Armin gestured to what was Marco’s shot up jacket, hanging from a hanger on the wall, “Check what’s in there.”

Levi glanced at Eren before walking over to the jacket. He picked it up off the hanger and checked the pockets. His face was blank until he reached the right pocket, his eyebrows raising as he pulled out a shot up file. Opening it, his head turned up, “Eren…”

The younger detective walked up, “That’s the file he got out of his desk before he ran off to the nightclub. They’re...they’re just reports.”

Levi shook his head, closing the file and holding it out to Eren. Eren took the file filled with holes and opened it.

Inside were shot up pictures, at least five of them. They were all pictures of a window, looking at the sides of the shot up pictures, but the center was all messed up. There was not a thing to identify, except for what looks to be a dress with what looked like wings embroidered into the back and a floppy hat off on the side. In other pictures he could see the headboard of a bed. And that was it, nothing else.

Eren looked up, “You don’t think these pictures…”

Levi cocked an eyebrow, “Are something that _they_ don’t want to be seen?”

Eren nodded, “Why wouldn’t Marco tell us?”

Levi shrugged, “Maybe he thought it would be too dangerous if we knew?”

Eren closed the file, giving it to Armin, “Well. We can’t spend all day thinking about what it might be. We have leads to go after. Armin, send a message if anything comes up.”

Armin took the file and placed it on the counter, “You got it.”

Levi nodded to Armin before turning around to head out the door, with Eren following behind. The older pushed the door open, with the younger closing it. Levi looked over at the Central Division police station across the street, “I suggest we split up. I will go talk to the shooting victims, and I will have you go have a talk with Miss Leonhart.”

Eren cocked an eyebrow, “Uhh...o-okay…” He said, looking at the police station parking lot to see his car, “I guess I can...do that…”

Levi gave a smirk, “Good.”

Eren drove up the rode to where the rich people stayed, his eyes glancing at the city while driving up the hill. _This is gonna be my first time meeting a celebrity,_ he thought to himself, wondering how he should act. _I guess it all depends on the person._

Eventually he saw it. A large estate overlooking the whole city. _She got this all on her own?_ The young detective thought to himself in amazement. He turned his car into a small driveway, seeing a light blue 1939 Cisitalia 202 parked in front of the wide garage door. He parked right next to the smaller car, opening his door to get out. His eyes glided over the coupe, amazed that one was right in front of him. _I have heard these things were pretty rare._

He shook his head to get out of the trance, looking ahead to see her whole estate. A pathway cut through the grass lawn. Eren walked along the path, his shoes tapping against the floor. As he walked the path, he saw double doors in front of him, made of what looked to be a rare wood, and a bodyguard on both sides of it.

One was big, muscular, and burly with broad shoulders. He had short blonde hair and almost golden eyes that could stare deep into you. He was wearing a grey button-up shirt with a red tie.

The other was tall, very tall, and slender, with short dark hair and green eyes. He didn’t seem to have an aura of confidence like the other guard emanated, but he looked like he could hold his own.

Eren stepped up to the front door, taking off his hat and looking at the two bodyguards, “Good morning, gentlemen.”

The muscular one spoke, his voice deep, but almost brotherly, “Miss Leonhart is not accepting visitors right now, she is grieving.”

Eren took a step forward, reaching into his suit pocket to pull out his badge, “Well, you see, sir, I was here to ask about the recent shooting at The Warrior. I am Detective Jaeger, Homicide.”

The taller one frowned, “He said, Leonhart does not want to talk to you.”

Eren looked at the tall man, “Well...actually...he said she was not accepting visitors. She might want to talk to me. I am an interesting guy. I am also not a visitor.”

The muscular one stepped closer, “Are you getting smart with us?”

Eren shrugged, “If it went right over your heads...then no…”

The stronger one growled, when a smooth voice from beyond the door called out, “Reiner, please be a dear and let the detective in! I wish to speak with the fellow!”

Reiner looked at the door before frowning at the small detective, reaching over and opening the door for him, “Please come in.”

Eren nodded to the brute before walking past the door, putting his hat back on. He stopped in the foyer, looking around at the painted pictures, some of the celebrity, and some from famous artists. He heard the voice come from the other room, “Detective, please join me in my living room.” He could’ve sworn he heard some southern accent coming from the room.

Eren turned the corner to see a living room with red carpet and a great view of the city of L.A through a full length window. In front of the view lay a white classic piano, and in the center lay a red sofa. On this sofa lay a small girl on her side wearing a black funeral dress, probably almost a foot smaller than Eren. Her short blonde hair cascaded down the side of the sofa, her head resting on the armrest as her left arm hung off the edge, and her right arm rested across her top side. Her extraordinary blue eyes were looking at a TV with a blank expression. She glanced over before looking back at the TV, “Hello, Detective Jaeger, welcome to my home. Have you ever watched the Small Fry Club?” She asked, the very slight southern twang definitely noticeable.

Eren walked further into the room, looking at the TV to see Bob Emery playing to pre-schoolers, “I never watched much TV in my life. I was told it rots your brain. Besides, isn’t this show for, uh...children?”

The woman smirked at his comment, “We are all children on the inside, Mr. Jaeger.” She said, swinging her legs over to sit up on the sofa, her head turned to the Detective, her piercing blue eyes meeting his green ones, “But enough about that. You aren’t here for that. You want to talk about the shooting at my club.”

Eren noticed it wasn’t a question. _Of course she knows why I am here,_ he thought to himself, taking off his hat, “Yes, ma’am, if you don’t mind.”

The woman nodded and stood up off the couch, “Before that, I forgot my manners,” She said, holding her hand out to him, “Annette Leonhart, but you can call me Annie.”

Eren took her hand and raised it up to his lips, brushing it against her soft skin “Eren Jaeger.”

She gave a slight smile, her red lipstick brightening as her pearly whites were shown for a brief second, “Ask your questions.”

Eren turned the hat in his hands before putting it back on his head, “Well, uh...where were you on the night of the shooting?”

Annie turned around and walked towards the window, “I was here, talking to my mama on the phone, playing a bit of piano. Around nine o’clock I decided to go to bed. Then today…” She began, sighing, “I learned about it.”

Eren nodded, following her to the window, “Do you know anyone who might want to hurt you or your business?”

Annie looked at Eren, her hair whipping around, “No. I am a kind, legit businesswoman.”

“Even with the connections to your father?”

“Even with that, they should know I want nothing to do with my father’s work. But I still love him.”

“Daddy’s girl?”

“You could say that.”

Eren looked down, “Uhm...you sure? No higher ups, no criminals, no...nothing?”

She nodded, turning to walk to the piano, “Yes.” She said, turning her head around, “Shit, where’s my cigarette case?”

Eren reached into his jacket to pull out his case, opening it in front of her, he held it out to the woman.

Her blue eyes peered down at the nine cigarettes neatly lined up. She glanced at Eren, who nodded, before nodding back and taking one cigarette. The detective put the case away and pulled out his lighter. She put the cigarette between her lips, her middle and index finger holding it as Eren brought the lighter up and flicked it a few times before a flame flickered to life, lighting the cigarette.

She sucked in before pulling the cigarette out, a stream of smoke escaping her lips. She sighed, “Thank you, I needed that.”

Eren shut the light and placed it back in his vest pocket, “It is nothing, Miss Leonhart.”

Annie made an L shape with the formation of her arms, the cigarette held close to her lips. She shook her head, “Detective Jaeger, I told you, please, call me Annie.”

Eren smiled, “As long as you call me Eren.”

Annie smirked, “Deal. So...anymore questions?”

Eren nodded and looked out the window, “When I was at the, uh...coroner’s office, I found a picture of you and the victim, you were friends?”

The celebrity looked down at her bare feet. She took a few steps towards the center of the room, “Yes...we were..,very close. I met her back in Texas…”

Eren looked at the blonde, “You went to Texas?” He realized how stupid of a question that was, considering her slight accent.

Annie nodded, “Yes...when I was at least fourteen. My mother lived there, and wanted to stay there, away from my father and his mob business. Yes, I know you know.”

Eren smiled, “Well, to be honest, Annie, the first time I have ever heard of you was this morning.”

Annie gave a short chuckle, “I thought you would know about me.”

“That is what my partner said.” Eren laughed, “Well, yes I do know about your father. Anyway...please...continue…”

Annie nodded, “Well...I decided to come live with my mother for a while to get away from the hustle and bustle of Sacramento. I stayed there until I was twenty, and Mina and I decided we will make it on our own in Los Angeles. Hollywood!” She exclaimed, a smile touching her lips, but it quickly faltered, as she sat on the back of the couch, looking down at her feet, “Mina...she somehow got connections with a man in the show business. When he heard my voice, he knew I was meant for the stage...but Mina was not. Her accent was too strong. But she supported me, and we were still the bestest of friends...through it all…”

Eren could see the tears fall from her eyes onto the skin of her feet. Her lips quivered as she shook her head, “I can’t...I can’t believe she is gone…right when her life was turning around…”

The detective took a step towards her, reaching a hand out, “Annie…” He began, placing a hand on her shoulder, rubbing it slightly, “I know what it is like to los-”

Before he could finish that sentence, a foot hooked around his ankle and a hand pushed his face, tripping him. He slammed down on his back, his eyes wide in surprise by the sudden test of gravity. He could hear the woman’s voice, almost disgusted.

“You don’t know what it’s like…” She hissed, standing over him, her eyes red, “I think you have asked enough questions, Detective Jaeger, you may leave now.”

Eren turned over and pushed himself up onto his feet before looking at the woman, “Miss...Leonhart?”

Annie’s back was facing him. She looked over her shoulder her pronounced nose wrinkled as she turned to him, “I said get _out!_ ” She shouted, throwing her cigarette at him.

Eren felt the cigarette bounce harmlessly off of him. He looked down and stepped on it, putting it out, as he began to hear her sob.

He heard the sound of a door opening and heavy footsteps coming his way. Then he heard the brute’s voice, “You have upset the lady. We suggest you leave. _Now._ ”

Eren looked at Annie one last time before nodding and turning around, “Of course, my apologies.” He said, walking out the door.

As he walked to his car, he remembered the sight of women on the docks looking for their lovers as they got off the boat from war, to find that they have died. Annie was almost like one of those women, broken and crying.

Levi walked across the street as Eren drove away, smirking to himself. _Oh, what it was like when I was younger,_ he thought to himself. Walking past the Central Police Station, his feet automatically dodging rain puddles as to not mess his shoes up, he turned a corner to see the Central Receiving Hospital directly behind the station, with several ambulances parked around.

He ascended the two steps so that he could opened the front door. He entered, his black leather shoes _clicking_ and _clacking_ against the floor, causing echoes to bounce off the walls.

A young nurse was at the front desk, looking at a clipboard before she noticed the detective. She turned her head up, giving a smile, “Hello, how may I help you?”

Levi gave a very small smile, pulling his hat off, “Yes, I am Detective Levi Ackerman. I was wondering if any of the victims from last night’s shooting were conscious and able to talk?”

Her eyes lit up before she grabbed a clipboard, looking at it, “Yes, some of them are. Just around that corner, past the doors. There should be two in each room.”

Levi nodded before turning the corner, placing his hat back on his head. He held a hand out to push the doors open, seeing several doors lining the wall.

He opened the first door, seeing that the two were sleeping. He didn’t want to disturb them. Closing that one, he went on to the next one, he opened it to see one of the victims asleep, and the other, a young lady, was staring up at the ceiling, looking down at the noise of the door opening to see the detective.

Levi stepped in, walking over to the bed of the girl, stopping beside it, “Hello, miss, my name is Levi Ackerman. I am a homicide detective.”

The girl was a bit nervous, slightly shrinking back from the man, until she heard he was a detective. She sighed in relief and nodded, “You want to ask me...about the...thing...last night?”

Levi nodded, “Yes. Do you remember anything...anything that could be important?”

She shook her head, “I didn’t know what happened until I was on the floor, clutching my side.” She said, wincing from the pain of her wound, “I am sorry detective.”

Levi held a hand up, “It’s fine, sweetheart. Thank you for your time.” He said before turning around and walking out the door.

He sighed as he walked to the next one, opening it. He saw that the two victims looked to be asleep. As he was closing the door, a voice came through, “Hello?”

Levi looked back inside to see a young man with black, thick-rimmed glasses and short cropped black hair sticking out of the bandages placed around his head, awake. He was cocking an eyebrow at the detective, who stepped in, closing the door behind him. He talked as he walked up to the young man, “Hello, my name is Levi Ackerman, I work as a homicide detective. What is your name, boy?”

The man frowned at being called a boy, but brushed it off, “My name is Beaure, I work as a journalist for the LA Times. You are here for the shooting at The Warrior...yes?”

Levi nodded, “I wanted to ask a few questions.”

Beaure nodded, “Can...can I have a cigarette first?”

Levi cocked an eyebrow before taking out his cigarette case and pulling one out. He gave it to the journalist, then took out his lighter to light the cigarette for him. He shut the lighter with a _clink,_ putting it back in his pocket, “I wanted to know if you remembered anything from last night? Anything important? Did the shooters say anything?”

Beaure blew out smoke, looking ahead, “Yes...I did…”

“Well...what?”

Beaure glanced at the detective, “I was sitting near the couple that were killed. The two men walked up and I swore I heard them say something like, ‘Regards from Leonhart’ or something, but I heard the name Leonhart...and that’s it...”

Levi’s eyes widened as he heard this, nodding, “Alright, that is all I need to know...for now…here is my card, call me if you remember anything else.” He said, giving a card to Beaure before immediately turning around and walking out the door, not saying a word to the young man.

As Levi walked out of the hospital, thoughts began to rush through his mind, all of them containing the name. _Leonhart._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: It was very hard trying to find out about the Central Receiving Hospital, as in 2005, it was torn down to make the Rampart Station. So I tried my best, and hope it was close enough. As you can see, I am trying to make the chapters as long as I can while still containing the quality I give. I hope you all enjoyed, if something is wrong, or you want to express your support, please comment. Thank you for reading!


	3. Connie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jean decides to go to Marco's apartment for memories. Meanwhile, a new lead arises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yay! New chapter. And a character appearance! I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 3: Connie**

“Yes, sir. Come on Eren.” Levi said, getting his jacket on before walking out the door. His younger partner got up from the chair in front of Jean and rolled it back into place at his desk. Erwin Smith nodded to Jean before walking out the door, leaving the vice detective to himself.

Jean took out his cigarette case, opening it and pulling a cigarette out before placing it between his lips. He took out his lighter, flicking it open and holding it up to the end of the cigarette. He flicked it a few times, every time he failed made him flick harder and faster, almost getting frustrated before a flame appeared, lighting it.

Jean snapped the lighter shut before sucking in and putting the lighter in his vest pocket. He pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and blew smoke into the air.

He sighed, turning his head to look out the window as he saw the two homicide detectives drive off. _Off to find out who killed my best friend_ , he thought to himself.

He looked at his desk, where he had some photos set up. The first was of Mikasa, when he first met her.

 

This was back in 1945, after Germany surrendered, and he was sent back home. He did have problems, but he never let it out to anyone. He felt alone in his troubles. Weak. His fellow officers didn’t talk to him, as he didn’t talk to them. He worked his beat, then went to his apartment, rinse and repeat. He barely ate, and didn’t know how the rest of his life would go.

He took an interest in photography for a while. It helped him somehow. He would walk the beaches of LA, taking pictures of the waves. But then one day, he met a more beautiful sight. Long black hair, piercing black eyes, and a face that shows off the best of both of her races. He swore he met an angel that day.

Jean walked up, camera in hand, the strap around his neck. She was wearing a red scarf that accentuated her beauty somehow as she stood there, watching the sea with a blank face. Jean was breathtaken. Her eyes glided over, noticing the tall gawking veteran standing next to her.

He noticed this and cleared his throat, “Uh...ugh...c-can...can I t-take a picture of you?” He asked, holding the camera up.

The woman cocked an eyebrow, turning her body towards him, “Why?” She asked, her voice emotionless.

Jean closed his eyes and took a deep breath, “Because…” He began, opening his eyes, he corrected his posture, “Because...your beauty _must_ find it’s way on my wall.”

The woman’s eyes widened slightly before she turned away, pulling the scarf up to her nose to cover her slightly blushing cheeks.

Jean thought he did something wrong, he looked down at his feet, “I...I’m sorry...that was...horrible. A very horrible pick-up line.”

“No.”

Jean turned his head up, his eyes lit, “What?”

The woman turned to him, “It was very...kind. Sweet…” She said, lowering the scarf to show a slight smile, “Lovely.”

Jean blushed and looked down again, feeling strange.

“Go on, take your picture.” She said, stepping back and doing a pose, looking out into the ocean, giving a smile.

Jean looked up and nodded, holding the camera up with shaking hands. He took a deep breath to steady his hands, and took the picture.

She turned to him and nodded.

He walked up closer to her, “Uh...my name is Jean...Jean K-K-Kirschtein…”

She walked up, “My name is Mikasa Jaeger. Are you a veteran, Jean?”

He slowly nodded, “Yes, ma’am. Uh...4th Infantry Division.”

Mikasa smiled, “My brother is fighting...right now. Across this ocean, in Japan.”

“He must be a brave man.”

Mikasa laughed, “Brave...more like stupid.”

Jean cocked an eyebrow, “Huh?”

Mikasa looked at Jean, “There are no brave men in war...only stupid ones…”

Jean looked at her, his mouth hanging open, before he smiled, giving a small laugh, “That...that is true.”

She smiled, “But I do love my brother, he has helped me as much as I helped him.”

“That’s good...that’s, uh...good.”

She took a few steps closer to Jean, “So, Mr. Kirschtein, should you do it...or should I?”

Jean frowned in confusion, “W-what?”

She sighed and smiled, “Meet me at Maria’s Diner tomorrow at four o’clock PM. Do _not_ be late.” She said as she began to take steps backwards.

Jean’s eyes widened, “Oh...okay...four…”

Mikasa smiled before turning around and running, “See you then!” And soon, she was gone.

Jean stood there, a stupid look on his face, as he just processed what happened.

After that date, they hit it off. There were many dates afterwards, and the two moved in together. Jean began to feel better, and eventually, he got a promotion to become a detective for vice, where he met his friend, Marco Bott. Then he was finally able to buy her a ring, to propose. He had to ask Eren for his blessing when he arrived from Japan, and he allowed it. They got married, and, now that they are down the road, Mikasa is having their first child. Whenever he thinks about it, he realized how much this girl has changed his life for the better.

The other pictures were either of him and Mikasa or him and his buddies. One was a picture of him in his army uniform, his now passed away mother smiling next to him.

All these pictures were times when things were better.

He only wished things were better now. Now, his friend is dead. Now, they are on the search for a killer. Now, Jean feels like it was all his fault. And soon, he will be attending a funeral of his friend.

 

His phone rang, sending him a jolt that pushed him back into reality. He blinked before glancing at the phone and reaching over to pick it up, taking his cigarette out as he put the phone up to his ear, “Detective Kirschtein, Vice.”

“Honey?”

Jean sat up straight, “Oh...uhm, hey Mikasa, h-how are you?”

“...You said you would come back to bed last night. Then I woke up today and you weren’t next to me. Jean...I got worried…”

Jean leaned forward, “Oh...oh shit, I am sorry, babe. It’s just...M...Marco was killed last night...in a shooting…”

He heard the other side go silent. Her voice came back a minute later, “He...he’s dead? Are you...okay?”

Jean nodded, even though she couldn’t see it, “Yeah, I think I will be fine...that’s why I was called out last night...I am…I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. It’s just...a lot of stuff has been happening since he died.”

“It’s fine, that’s understandable. Just...come home tonight. Please? I want to sleep next to my husband and not an empty space.”

Jean smiled and nodded again, “You got it, Mrs. Kirschtein, see you tonight.”

“See you, Mr. Kirschtein.”

 

Just as Jean hung up, his captain, Nile Dok, walked in, straightening his black tie, “Jean, I just found out about your little, uh...’burst of rage’, I should call it, today. And I know it was because of Marco’s death last night. I think...I think that you should take a break for...however long you need.”

Jean put the cigarette in his mouth, sucking in, pulling it out, and blowing smoke into the air. He rested his arms on his desk, looking down at it, “Sir...sir I am fine. I have sobered up, and Eren has got me back on track. I am fine, I am ready to work.”

Nile sighed and nodded, “Alright. You sure?”

Jean nodded, “Yes, sir, I am. Thank you.”

Nile nodded, “Marco was like a son to me. And I bet he was like a brother to you. Yes, we did lose family, but he is still with us.”

Jean smiled, “Thanks sir.” He said.

Nile nodded again before walking out of the room, leaving the vice detective to himself.

Jean looked down at his desk and opened a drawer as he realized he had something, rummaging around in it until he felt the cool metal of a key. He pulled it out, looking at it. A smile appeared on his face. _Marco gave me this key in case I needed to come over when he was away._ He stood up and closed the drawer, putting the key in his pocket and reaching over to pull his jacket off of the hanger, slipping it on before taking his hat and placing it on his head.

He stretched his neck out before turning around to head out the door. _Time to have a look,_ he thought to himself, putting his hands in his jacket pockets as he descended the stairs.

Jean leaned against the back of the elevator wall, alone in the small metal box. His fingers tapped against the wall, creating an echo that followed him up the shaft. He sighed, the waiting driving him insane. _Maybe I should’ve taken the stairs,_ he thought to himself.

The elevator slowed to a stop before fully halting and dinging as the doors opened in front of him. He pushed himself off of the wall, taking a few steps out of the elevator before straightening his jacket. He looked to the right, nothing. He looked to the left, rows of doors.

His shoes clapped against the floor as he walked by multiple brass numbers on multiple wooden doors. He pulled the key out of his pocket, looking down at it to see the number _70_ etched into it. He turned his head, side to side, eventually spotting the same number stuck to a door.

Jean stopped his walk, and pivoted on his feet to face the door, taking a few steps forward to stand in front of it. _Never been here before,_ he thought to himself, laughing slightly. He looked down at the doorknob, then at his key. He inserted the key into the lock and turned it, hearing a clicking noise that signaled the unlocking of the door. He then turned the knob, and pushed the door open, letting it swing wide open.

It was clean, very clean. A hallway was laid out in front of him, with two doorways each on both side walls, with a door at the end.

Jean stepped past the threshold, taking the first door on the right. He looked around, finding himself in Marco’s eating area, with a kitchen and dining room. Jean ran his finger along the edge of the table, looking at the kitchen area to see nothing was out of order, everything was correctly organized and cleaned. Marco would make a good housewife, Jean thought to himself, chuckling as he moved on. On the other side of the kitchen was a door, opening it, Jean found himself in the same hallway. So he crossed the hall and entered the other room.

It was the living area, and Jean could see how sophisticated Marco was. Marco liked to reference famous works of literature at times, so Jean could understand now that he see the bookshelves filled to the brim. From Bronte to Shelley, every famous writer in history were on these bookshelves.

Jean walked over, his left hand resting on the leather armchair in the center. He leaned over to one of the bookshelves and pulled a book out to read the cover, “Far From The Madding Crowd...by Thomas Hardy. I have read this one before, in high school...I think I liked it…”

He opened it and read one sentence before closing the book, _Anyway, back to memories._ He thought to himself, leaning over to put the book back. He rested both arms on the chair, looking around.

His eyes caught some pictures on the table in front of the leather chair. Jean walked around the chair to sit in it, reaching over to pick up one picture frame.

A small black haired boy was sitting cross-legged, smiling up at the camera. He was sitting on the lap of his mother, with long black hair, doing the same as her son. He turned the picture frame in his hands and opened the stand, looking at the back of the photo. It read:

_RIP Mother,_

_I will always miss you._

_Marco_

Jean looked at the message, his lip quivered slightly, his eyes closed and he began to breathe heavily. _No,_ he thought to himself, _don’t...don’t cry, Jean...be strong...be that man…_. He took a deep breath, then opened his eyes, exhaling slowly. He closed the picture and put it back.

He looked at the other pictures, seeing they were of other people, people Marco knew. There was even a picture of Jean and Mikasa kissing in front of some fountain. The next one was of Levi, frowning at the camera and flipping it off while sitting down at his desk. The one after that was of Eren, back when he first became a detective, holding a hand up to his eyes to shield from the blinding light that a camera flashed. And the last one, one that looked quite new, was of a young girl. Pretty. Loose pigtails hung from her head as she looked like she was ending a twirl, looking at the camera with a wide smile. Jean reached over and picked it up, opening the back. It read:

_Mina_

_A symbol of beauty._

_I love her._

Jean looked at the photo and nodded, figuring out who this one was. _She is the one who is now laying face up in a coroner’s office,_ he thought to himself, wondering how long Marco has been seeing her. He shook his head. _Poor girl._

Placing the photo back, he sighed before standing up, looking around the room before walking out of it.

Stepping back into the hall, he turned to the door at the end. Opening it, he found himself in the bedroom of his late friend. Bed was made, shelves were dusted, everything was cleaned. I bet if you set Levi loose in here he would find something dirty, he thought to himself, giving a laugh. He could see another door near the bed, but knew that that one was the bathroom, and didn’t care to walk into there.

Jean walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge, looking around at all of the stuff his friend had. He looked up to the heavens, thinking, _I hope you are doing okay up there, buddy. You and that pretty little dame._ He looked back down, sighing to himself. I miss him.

**Meanwhile**

Levi burst through the doors of the police station, dodging around the police officers that were conversing near the entrance. He soon made it to the front desk, the short man looking up at the police officer, “I am going downstairs to look at files. If anyone needs me, tell them I am there.”

And without another word, Levi was off, walking around the corner and down the hall, pushing open the doors to _Technical Services, Armory, and Receiving Hospital._ His shoes went from stepping on wood to stone, then he reached the stairs off to the side, descending them in a rushed fashion, his leather shoes clapping against the wooden steps.

Once he reached the bottom, he looked around the dimly lit main room, where he could see the doors to technical services and the armory. He saw two wooden tables stacked on top of one another, one right side up, the other upside down, with two chairs standing on them. He pulled the chairs off and grabbed the table on top, pulling it off and setting it right side up to drag off to the middle of the main room. He walked back and grabbed one chair, setting it down in front of the table, he pulled off his jacket and hung it on the back of his seat

 _Now, the files_ , Levi thought to himself. He forgot how they were organized, so first he went to _L_. Pulling the cabinet out, his fingers flicked between files until he reached two files. _Leonhart Family_ and _Annette Leonhart._ He grabbed them both and set them down on the table, sitting down.

He opened the former file, looking at the papers as he laid them out across the table. _Let’s see...started in 1873 in Sacramento...few crimes here and there, but nothing relating to this case. It’s almost as if they have nothing to do with LA!_ He thought to himself, slamming his palms on the table as he opened the other file. _Nothing...nothing...nothing,_ “What the fuck?” He muttered under his breath, sighing and standing up to step away from the table and pull out his case.

His mind was still racing from the information that patient gave him as he pulled a cigarette out. _Those men were gunning for Marco, and it’s a huge chance that it was Leonhart, but there is no evidence to prove that. And who would shoot up their own daughter’s nightclub?_ He asked himself, lighting the cigarette between his lips and putting his lighter away.

He pulled the cigarette out, taking his hat off and putting it on the table, “Shit…” He said, smoke coming out instead of breath, “...What does the Leonhart family have to do with this...and is Annette at all related to these murders other than being friends with the broad?”

He heard footsteps coming down. His head spun around to see Eren holding onto the wooden rail of the stairs, leaning down to look at the older detective, “Hey...Levi, I was told you were down here.” He said, his eyes were full of curiosity as he took the last steps to reach the bottom, “Uh...what’s, uhm...what’s up...I mean...what’s...going on here?”

Levi sighed and shook his head, “Nothing...nothing...uh...how did it go with Miss Leonhart?”

Eren sighed as well, taking a chair and setting it down by the table, sitting on it, “Not so well. I guess I hit a tender point...she kicked me out. But she was home the whole time last night. Went to sleep early.”

Levi nodded, scratching the back of his neck, “Think you can talk to her again?”

“I do not know, Levi, she seemed pretty angry. But maybe...I can try.”

Levi nodded again, “Listen...Eren...the Leonhart family may have something to do with this...I don’t think Annette is doing it...but I think her father is somehow involved.”

Eren cocked an eyebrow, “Why?”

“One of the patients at the hospital, one of the victims of the shooting, said he heard one triggerman say something about the Leonharts.”

Eren frowned, “Why...the fuck would he shoot up his daughter’s nightclub?”

“That’s what I want to know.”

Eren looked at the files on the table, his eyes reading little snippets that have nothing to do with each other, “Well...she is the only lead we have...the other being what could be seen in those shot up photos.”

“The embroidered dress?”

“Yup.”

“Eren...next time you are at Annette’s house, if you ever go back, do you think you could check her clothes?”

“I doubt it’s her, but I can try.”

Levi nodded, “So…” He began, sitting down, “How is she? Is she nice?”

Eren nodded, giving a short laugh, “She was very kind...answered my questions...but I guess I made her too uncomfortable. I tried to comfort her, but then she kicked me out. So...I left.”

Levi wrinkled his nose, “Well...that sucks, Eren...you should call her.”

“I will...I will, but not today...she is still grieving...I will do it tomorrow.”

“Alright, kid. Good.”

Another set of footsteps reached their ears as Jean descended the stairs, “Hey, I was told you guys were down here,” He began, reaching the bottom, leaning against the rail, “I just went to check Marco’s apartment. Old memories.”

Eren nodded, “Well...welcome…”

Jean gave a faint smile, “Thanks...uh...what are you guys doing?”

Levi looked up from the papers, “Looking at a couple of files. Nothing important. Nothing we can go off of.”

Jean nodded, “Alright, well I just wanted to check in. I will be in the detective room if you need me.”

The two homicide detectives nodded, waving him goodbye before the vice detective went back up the stairs.

Jean opened the door to the detective room, seeing that the arson detectives, Mike Zacharius and Eld Jinn, were sitting down, looking at reports. They both turned their heads to look at Jean, their faces becoming sullen at the thought of his dead friend. _Their_ dead friend. They looked back to their reports.

Jean looked down as they looked at him, walking to his desk. He spun the chair so that he could sit down. Spinning the chair, he turned towards the window, looking out it. He was hoping, just _hoping_ that he would see his friend in the crowd, alive and smiling.

But no, there was no one. Just faceless people to him. He sighed and turned to his desk, looking at some of the papers on it when the door to the detective room burst open.

“Detectives? I rem-” The voice stopped, seeing that the homicide detectives were not here.

Jean spun around to see the officer from last night, Wagner, standing there, his eyes wide.

The vice detective stood up, “Uh they are downstairs...in the basement, uh...what’s up?”

Thomas glanced at the detective, “Uhm...something for them.”

Jean sighed, “I am their friend, I can bring it down to them.”

Thomas cocked an eyebrow before sighing and nodded, “Okay, okay...uh...I remembered something…”

Eren looked at the papers, reading more and more about the celebrity he met not too long ago, while Levi read about the family she was from. Eren turned the pages, finding interesting things about this girl. Levi was not.

A hurried set of footsteps scuttled down the stairs, catching both Eren’s and Levi’s attention, their heads turning towards the sound as Jean skipped a few steps by jumping and landing on the ground, “Guys! Guys!” He exclaimed turning to the two detectives, the younger one with an incredulous look, and the other with an almost annoyed look.

The older one spoke, “What is it, Jean?”

The vice detective walked over, “That officer from last night, Wagner. He said he remembered something.”

Eren turned to Jean, his eyes wide, “What?”

Jean nodded to Eren before explaining, “When he was running towards the nightclub, he saw a photographer taking pictures of the scene across the street. He explained him as...uh...short...thin, and has a shaved head.”

Eren’s eyes widened more when he heard the description, “...Shit…” He muttered, turning back to the table.

Jean cocked an eyebrow at Levi, who shrugged, “What?”

Eren rested his forehead on his palm, “I know this guy...his name...his name is Connie Springer. He fought with me in the 7th Infantry Division back in the Pacific Theater. I saved him from death in Okinawa. Last time I talked to him, he said he had an interest in being a freelance journalist.” He raised his head up, placing his supporting arm down, “He is a good kid, kind of annoying at times, but good. I just hope he is not involved in this.”

Jean nodded, “Well...I suggest you call this Connie guy, set up a meeting with him, ask him a few questions, and maybe even get those pictures he took.”

Eren nodded and stood up from his seat, looking at the two other detectives, “Alright, good idea, I will go call him now.”

Levi looked down at the papers, “I am going to see if I can find anything else in this _enigma_ of a family.”

Jean nodded, “I am gonna go home early today. I need to spend more time with Mikasa. I will see you gents later.” He said before ascending the stairs again.

Eren turned to look at Levi, who glanced back, “Get going, Eren, this is another lead. He might be an important one.”

Eren nodded before heading up the stairs. Halfway up, he stopped and looked down, “A lead…” He began, looking back up, “I hope not.” He said before continuing.

Eren sighed as he sat down at his desk, pulling a drawer out to get a card from it, where he had Connie’s number written down. He placed the card on the table and picked up the phone, putting in the numbers he had wrote poorly on the small piece of paper.

Once he got it all in, he sighed once more, turning his chair towards the windows on the other side of the room. He waited in silence before he heard a clicking sound on the other end, and a familiar voice, “Hello?”

Eren sat up straight, “Uh...hey, Connie...it’s Eren...Eren Jaeger?”

“Eren...holy shit man! It’s been a while, how are you, man?”

Eren nodded, knowing that Connie couldn’t see it, “I am good. Got promoted a year ago to detective. Homicide. Which is why I am actually calling you. Can we...set up a meeting somewhere?”

He heard some silence before Connie’s voice broke through, “Uh...yeah, I guess...how does Maria’s Diner sound?”

Eren smirked, “Haven’t eaten there in a while. Sure, sure...Maria’s Diner it is. We can do it around three-thirty.”

“Alright, man, see you there!” And he hung up.

Eren blinked before sighing and placing the phone back on the receiver. _Maria’s Diner...three-thirty...please...please don’t be involved in this, Connie…_

Eren parked his car in the diner parking lot, pulling out the key and looking to the diner to see Connie sitting in a booth, waiting for his old war buddy to come in and talk to him. Some other people were there, being served by the young ladies of the diner.

The homicide detective sighed before he stepped out of the car, slamming the door shut. As he walked towards the diner, he could see Connie slowly look out the window and spot him. He smiled and waved. Eren flashed a brief grin as a hello, looking up at the neon sign reading Maria’s Diner. In a few hours, it will be lit up when the dark blanket of night falls upon L.A.

Eren pushed himself through the door, the bell hooked up to it, ringing, announcing his entrance to everyone eating in this diner. Some turned their heads, some glanced, and the rest didn’t care, just thinking of the ring as another customer. Another boring customer.

Eren straightened his tie as he looked at the smaller guy in the booth near the window overlooking the parking lot, who was watching Eren while holding a cigarette between his fingers.

The young detective took slow steps toward his old veteran buddy, remembering the times with him during Okinawa. Screaming...crying for help...his shoulder bleeding, his ears ringing...cursing the heavens...I dragged him.

“Eren?”

Eren blinked, his head snapping to look down at Connie, as he was standing right at the table, “Oh...sorry, Conman...my mind wandered.”

Connie gestured to the seat across from him, “It’s fine, Eren, just sit down. You wanted to talk. About something, I mean.”

Eren looked at his seat, blinking, “Uh…” He began, remembering, “Oh, shit, yeah...sorry…” He sat down across from his friend. The leather seat squeaked as the sitter took his hat off and placed it on the table.

Connie placed the cigarette between his lips and sucked in, pulling it out to blow smoke into the diner, he smiled, “It’s alright, man...just calm down...how are you?”

Eren smiled, “I am doing great man, got a good job, nice home…”

“A girl?”

“No...not yet, at least.”

“I recently got engaged man, her name is Sasha Blouse. Taller than me, but beautiful.”

“Aww, that’s great man. Am I invited to the wedding?”

“Fuck yeah, man, you saved my life back in Okinawa...thanks again…”

“Don’t...don’t mention it…”

“Alright...so you wanted to talk to me about something?”

Eren’s eyes lit up, “Oh...right...uh, last night, one of the officers saw you across the street from The Warrior Nightclub during the shooting, taking pictures. Is this true?”

Connie’s smile vanished, and he glanced away from Eren’s eyes, staring at something off to the side, “Uh, no...I wasn’t there...nuh uh…”

Eren frowned, “Connie…”

Connie’s eyes widened, he looked at Eren, “What?”

Eren raised his hands and slammed them on the table, raising himself up from the seat, “Damn it, Connie!” He shouted, everyone in the diner turning their heads towards the scene. Eren looked around before waving to them and lowering himself back onto the seat, “Connie...I know you are fucking lying to me...you were there, and you took pictures. I need them.”

Connie opened his mouth, then closed it. Eren sighed as Connie tried to open it again to say something. The detective looked out the window, seeing two men standing there in trench coats, their faces covered. Eren cocked an eyebrow at the two men standing there, not too far from the window. Eren looked back to Connie, but his eye caught movement. He looked again to see the two men holding submachine guns, already placing a drum magazine into it.

Eren’s eyes widened as he reached over to grab Connie, pulling him out of the booth, “Everyone get down!”

Before anyone could react, bullets shredded the window to pieces, the sounds of repeated shots echoing throughout the diner. People dived to the floor, screaming and crying as bullets peppered the room. Eren kept Connie held down, protecting him from any bullets. He reached into his jacket and pulled out his Colt pistol.

It wasn’t too long before the gunshots stopped. Eren stood up quickly and aimed at the two fleeing men. He pulled the trigger several times, missing except for one time, where a bullet hit one of them in the shoulder, causing him to cry in pain as they got in the car.

Eren jumped onto the table and out the window, running after the car. As it drove away, he shot at it a few more times, hitting the metal and breaking the rear window before the car was finally gone.

Eren stood there, making a face of anger as he stomped the ground, “Damn it!” He shouted, looking down at his gun before holstering it. He turned back to the diner, sighing as he walked back.

Connie stood up, eyes wide, as he looked around, seeing no one dead, but a few people were injured, blood pouring from their wounds. He wrinkled his nose at the sight, looking back at the window to see Eren crawling back in, grabbing his hat on the way in and placing it on his head. When he landed jumped off the table and onto the floor, he pointed to one of the waitresses, “Call an ambulance, now!” He said before he turned to Connie, a face of give me no bullshit spread across, “I will be _needing_ those pictures.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry it took so long (a whole week), but school is a bitch. I hope you enjoyed! Thank you for reading!


	4. Pictures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With what has happened, Mikasa is worried about Eren, so she invites him over. Meanwhile, the pictures have arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter, I hope you don't mind. Also not very intense, but it is pretty important. I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 4: Pictures**

 

Eren rubbed his eyes as he sat down in the driver’s seat of his car in the diner parking lot with the door open, a cigarette sitting in between his lips. _Man, I’m beat. After what happened today, a drink and some sleep sounds great._ He thought to himself, seeing the police cars parked not too far from him, and a few officers talking to the customers, including Connie.

Eren spotted an officer coming his way. He sighed as the police officer got close, the officer giving a faint smile, “Detective, you’re okay, right?”

Eren held a hand up, nodding, “Yes, officer, thank you. Do me a favor, though.” He said, pointing to his old war buddy, “Escort Connie Springer to his home, make sure he gets the pictures he took last night and brings them to the station as soon as possible. The ones he took of The Warrior Nightclub shooting. Are we clear?”

The officer nodded, “Yes, detective, I will get right on that.”

Eren saw the officer turn around and walk over to Connie, who still looked quite shocked from the events that happened just an hour ago. The officer spoke to the other officer talking to Connie, gesturing for him to go to another customer. As soon as the other officer left, the first one looked at Connie and patted his shoulder, saying a few words.

Connie cocked an eyebrow and looked at Eren, who narrowed his eyes. Connie appeared to have sighed and nodded to the police officer, saying something before the officer gestured for Connie to follow, which he did. Eren’s eyes followed the two until they got into a car and drove off. _That guy is a piece of work sometimes, I swear._

A few minutes later, a black car drove into the parking lot, stopping near Eren’s car. Eren already knew who it was, but glanced over to see Levi getting out of the car. The younger detective raised his foot, dropping his almost finished cigarette from his fingers and stepped on it. Levi stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked over to his partner, “So...you gonna tell me what went down at this joint?”

Eren glanced up as his partner, then looked over his shoulder at the shot up diner, specifically where he sat with his friend, “I was talking to Connie when these two men appeared from nowhere with typewriters. I pulled Connie down just before they began opening fire. I was able to get up when they ran out of ammo and shoot one of them in the arm. Afterwards I got someone to call the ambulance and then I watched Connie until the cops arrived.”

Levi smirked and gave a short laugh, nodding as he looked at the diner, “Well...are you okay?” He asked, with a hint of actual concern.

Eren nodded, “Yes, Levi, I am fine. Don’t worry...but thank you for asking.”

Levi looked down at him, “So...do you think it was the Leonhart family?”

Eren sighed and stood up from the car seat, walking a few steps past Levi, “To be honest, Levi, I don’t know. Maybe. But I believe those two were the ones who caused the shooting at The Warrior. I mean, who knows? They might not be Leonhart.”

“But it’s a big chance that they are.”

Eren, looking out at the sun kissing the horizon, turned his head to look at Levi, “...That’s true.”

Levi nodded, “So...you think your Connie friend has some significant pictures?”

Eren nodded, walking back over to Levi and leaning against his own car, “Yes...at least I hope so...if he was there taking pictures that night, he had to have gotten some pics of the shooters. Maybe we can get something from that.”

Levi wrinkled his nose, looking at the officers talking to the customers, “Yeah...maybe we can…”

Eren remembered something, “Did you find anything in the files? Anything more about the Leonharts?”

Levi sighed and shook his head, “Nothing huge, the Leonhart family has some connections in California politics, nothing big. Annette is practically a saint. No prior crimes. No crimes at _all_. And she has given a _lot_ of money to charities. She is the most giving person in LA, next to Historia Reiss.”

Eren laughed at the name of the mayor’s daughter, who was known to be the kindest woman in L.A., and possibly California. He hasn’t met her yet, but he has heard from the stories of others of her sincerity. Maybe he will witness some of that soon.

Eren was brought out of his thinking when he spotted another car driving into the parking lot. A red car. Jean’s car.

Eren walked over to the car as it parked, smiling at Jean, “Hey, Jean, you shouldn’t be here. You should be at home.”

Jean smiled as he got out of the car, keeping the door open, “Mikasa just heard of what happened here. She wants to see you. Like. _Now._ She is super worried. Think you can make the trip?”

Eren sighed and nodded, looking down at his feet before turning his head back up to Jean, “I am guessing her, uh...hormones are acting up?”

Jean gave a short laugh, “You know that, even if she wasn’t pregnant, she would still be extremely worried.”

Eren gave a laugh back, “Yeah...yeah, I...I guess you’re right...fine...you go on, I gotta speak with Levi for a bit.”

Jean nodded, “You know where we live?”

Eren nodded, waving his hand goodbye, “Yeah, yeah, Wilton...uh...red house, right?...Forgot the address...but you have the boat...right?”

Jean smiled, “Alright, yeah, you got it...what color is the boat?”

“White.”

“Good job, see you there.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

And with that, Jean got back in the car and drove off, leaving the homicide detectives to themselves.

Levi turned to his partner, “You should get going.”

Eren nodded, walking back to his car, “Yes, I should, before Mikasa freaks out. Listen, Connie will be bringing the pictures he took over to the station. Do you think-”

“I got it covered, Eren. You worry about your sister. Remember to call Annette, she is still a valuable lead.”

Eren got into his car, “Yes sir.” He said before closing the door. Levi rapped his knuckles on the glass of the window, gesturing for him to roll it down.

Eren did so, allowing Levi to rest his forearms on the window, “One more thing. Good luck.”

“With what?”

“With getting an answer from Annette.”

Eren smiled, “Thanks.”

Levi patted the top of Eren’s car, “Alright, see you later, Eren!” He said as Eren nodded and drove off. Off to see his worried sick sister.

A few minutes later, Eren was driving his car down Wilton Plaza slowly, looking side to side at the houses that contained the many families of America, the father being a veteran more than usual.

_Green. Blue. Tan. Yellow. Red-Red! There it is! With the white boat!_

Eren pulled up to the curb of the sidewalk, slowing down before pulling the key out of the ignition.

He sat there in his car, reaching up to rub his eyes again. _Tired. Tired. Ugh, I’m tired. But I would rather be tired than scare Mikasa. She would tear a door down just to get to me if it meant helping me._

Eren felt that he has been waiting long enough. He opened the door and stepped out, closing it so that he could turn and look at his sister’s house. He saw his sister through the window, as she was parting the blinds, staring at him. He waved, smiling. The blinds quickly closed. Eren laughed before shaking his head and walking around his car, taking a step up onto the sidewalk.

He took the three wooden steps up onto the porch, walking up to the front door. He hesitated, looking around, seeing how they decorated the outside, before he decided to raise his hand.

Before he could knock on the door, it opened up and his sister dived at him, wrapping her arms around her, “Eren!” She exclaimed, pulling away, she checked his body, “Are you hurt? Shot? Wounded? Eren, please tell me you're okay. Unless you are not, then tell me what is wrong? Eren are you okay?”

Eren felt overwhelmed by the amount of questions his sister threw at him. He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her away a bit more, stepping back to look at Mikasa, “I am fine, Mika! Really! But...thanks for your concern.”

Mikasa smiled, placing her hands on the swell of her unborn child, “That’s good, that’s good. I was just worried. I don’t want Uncle Eren to be killed before he sees his nephew or niece or...whatever this is.”

Eren laughed and gestured to her body, “How is he...she...it, anyway?”

“It was kicking up a storm a minute ago. But I think it finally fell asleep. So I have an hour of peace before the bastard wakes up again.”

Eren laughed, “Uh...may I come in?”

Mikasa nodded and stepped out of the way for him, “I was just cooking up something for Jean and I. Can you stay for dinner?”

Eren stepped past the threshold, looking at his sister as he spotted Jean, his jacket, hat, and holster off, checking on the cooking food, “I...I don’t think I should.” He looked back to Mikasa.

She was giving him slight sad eyes, “Come on, Eren! We haven’t talked face to face in months.”

Eren raised a finger, “Actually, I came over for dinner a month ago.”

“It’s like a year to her!” He heard Jean say in the other room.

Mikasa turned to glare at her husband, who smiled, but, seeing her face, killed the smile, and went back to the cooking. She smiled and turned back to Eren, “Please, Eren. Please.”

Eren sighed and nodded, taking his hat off and placing it on the nearby hat stand, “Alright, alright, fine.”

Mikasa smiled, hugging her brother, “Thank you!” She said before turning and walking back to the kitchen, slapping Jean’s hand away from the food.

Jean walked into the living room, rubbing his smacked hand. Eren was situating himself on the sofa, “So, yeah...hormones...or something…”

Eren gave a short laugh, “Yeah, that is usually what happens.”

Jean sat down, reaching into his jacket to pull out his case, taking a cigarette out. He put it in between his lips, putting the case back. He leaned forward, pulling out a lighter, “So, anything on the case?”

Eren leaned back on the sofa, looking out the window, “Uh...Connie has some pictures he took the night of the shooting. He is bringing them back to the police station for Levi to look at. I will be going back to the station after dinner to check on him and the pictures. Then I will probably be heading home.”

Jean nodded, “Alright. I was thinking of something…” He began, lighting his cigarette, “...of joining you guys in the case…” He continued, pulling the cigarette out and blowing smoke into the air, “I might be able to help, and-”

“Jean,” Eren interrupted, sighing before looking down at his feet, “We can’t let you in the case...you were way too personally involved with Marco, it would muddle with your mind. Besides...you should spend some time with Mikasa…”

Jean sighed, leaning back in his seat, he put the cigarette back in his mouth, “I just don’t like to sit around and do nothing.”

Eren nodded, “None of us do, Jean. We always want to help in some way. I will tell you what. If we need you in anyway at all...we will call you...alright?”

Jean looked off to the side before nodding, “Alright. Alright. If it’s the best I can do.”

Eren smiled, nodding, “Thank you Jean. We will catch the killer. Trust me.”

Jean nodded, “I hope so.”

“We are getting more and more leads as time goes on. I would say we got a good chance. Just trust in us. Okay?”

“I do...trust in you guys, of course. I apologize if I sounded like I was doubting your abilities.”

Eren held up a hand, “It’s fine. It’s understandable, considering recent circumstances.”

And before anything else can be said, Mikasa walking into the room, “Dinner is ready, boys.”

Eren and Jean both got up from their seats, walking to the kitchen, where Mikasa was already sitting down, waiting for the two men to sit down so that they can begin eating.

Once the two men were settled, they began to eat. For a few moments, the only sound echoing through the room was the clinging and clanging of silverware.

Mikasa was the one to speak up, “So...Eren...Jean told me you talked to the famous Annette Leonhart?”

Eren stopped his eating, he glanced at Jean before nodding, looking to his sister, “Yes. Yes I did. To ask her a few questions about the, uh, the shooting.”

Mikasa smiled, “Well...how was she?”

“She was...great...very kind, and she was lovely. She answered all questions with respect. But I hit a hard spot, and she kicked me out.”

Mikasa nodded, her smile vanishing, “Oh...maybe you still have a chance?”

Eren cocked an eyebrow, “Chance?...Chance for what?”

Mikasa raised her eyebrows, “You know…”

Eren stared at her, confused for a few seconds before the cogs turned and the light bulb sparked to life, his eyes widening, “Woah...woah...no...no...I couldn’t possibly be with a girl like that. I am way too out of her league.”

Mikasa laughed, “Ease up, Eren, I was only teasing...partially…”

Eren narrowed his eyes, “Partially, huh?”

Mikasa smirked, “I am just saying...don’t doubt yourself.”

Eren gave a short humorless laugh, “Yeah, yeah.”

The brother and sister went back to their eating, saying nothing for the rest of the dinner.

After dinner was finished, Mikasa picked up the plates and began to wash them. Eren got up from his seat, smiling and nodding to the couple, “Well, I better get going. Gotta take a look at the photos Connie took of the shooting.”

Mikasa looked over her shoulder, “Connie? Connie Springer?”

“Yeah.”

“How is he doing?”

“Good. Anyway, I should go. It’s getting late. Thank you for the dinner.” He said, walking over to the door, he reached up and pulled his hat off of the rack, placing it on his head.

“Alright, Eren, love you!” His sister said, walking over to hug him.

Eren wrapped his arms around his sister, “Love you too.”

Jean leaned against a nearby wall, “See you tomorrow.”

Eren nodded to Jean, letting go of his sister and placing his hand on the knob, “See ya.”

Opening the door, he walked out and descended the three small steps off of the porch, hearing his sister say, “Be careful, Eren.”

The brother held up a hand as he went around to the driver’s seat of his car, smiling at his sister before getting in his car. He saw their door close as he closed his.

He sat there, thinking about that strange Annette Leonhart, before shaking his head and putting the key in the ignition, turning it, sending the car roaring to life. Eren took one last look at his sister’s house before driving off.

 

Levi ran his fingers through his black hair, his grey eyes scanning the papers in front of him under the hanging light of the basement. Nothing huge stood out to him, nothing even relating to it. He closed the Leonhart Family file, sliding it off to the side of the table, and picked up the Annette Leonhart one again, opening it and searching through it. He heard soft footsteps descending the stairs.

His eyes glanced up to see a police officer with a envelope in his hand, “Uh...Detective Jaeger?”

Levi shook his head and gestured for him to come closer, “No, Detective Ackerman, but Jaeger is my partner. I assume the pictures that journalist took during the shooting last night are in that envelope?”

The officer stepped forward, nodding, he placed the envelope on the table, “Yes sir.”

Levi picked it up, opening the envelope, he stopped and glanced at the officer, “You didn’t look, did you?”

The officer shook his head, “No sir.”

Levi nodded, “Alright, you may go now. Thank you.”

The officer nodded before going back up the stairs, his steps fading away the farther he got until they were finally gone.

Levi reached into the envelope and took out the pictures, there being only three in exact, and laid them across the table. The first one showed The Warrior, in all it’s glory, with people running out of it in terror.

The next one showed two big men exiting out of the nightclub, their faces covered by bandanas and hats. They both had a Thompson in their hands, and appeared to be running towards a car, Levi didn’t know what kind of car, since he was not huge into cars. _Maybe Eren would know,_ he thought to himself before moving on to the next picture.

This one showed the car driving away from the nightclub, the blur almost making the car a flash. The officer from last night, Wagner, was seen running towards the nightclub.

And that was it. Levi didn’t know what to make of it. He sat there, his eyes look from photo to photo, over and over again.

 

Eren opened the doors to the police station, walking past the front desk and making straight for the basement. His shoes clicked against the wooden stairs as he descended them. Once he reached the bottom, he turned his head to see Levi, looking at what seemed to be the pictures.

The older detective glanced up, spotting his partner, “Eren, come look at these. Are you a...car guy?”

Eren cocked an eyebrow at the question, walking over, “Kind of, why?” He asked, looking at the pictures.

Levi planted his finger on the second photo, specifically under the car, “Do you know what model this car is?”

Eren narrowed his eyes at the car before picking it up to bring it closer, “Actually...yeah, I do. It’s a, uh...Delage D8 120, made in France. Pretty rare, since the Germans overtook France, stopping any production. If I remember correctly...there are twelve in the world, maybe more, but I don’t know. From what I have heard, it is very fast and handles very well.”

Levi nodded, “The perfect getaway vehicle. Do you think it’s the one that attacked you at the diner?”

“No, but they could’ve gotten another car.”

“You think Annette has one?”

Eren turned his head to look at his partner, “I...I...Maybe but I...don’t know...when I parked my car at her place, I noticed that she had a Cisitalia 202 parked there. She also had a pretty wide garage.”

“You still going to call her tomorrow?”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry.”

Levi nodded, “Anyway, I think you have had enough for the day. Go home, get some rest.”

Eren frowned, “No, Levi, I am fine,” He said, rubbing his tired eyes, “I am fine. We should analyze the photos more.”

Levi sighed, “No you are not. First of all, there is nothing more to analyze. Second, look at you, you look dead tired. Now go. That’s an order from a superior.”

Eren looked down at himself, seeing his clothing was a bit disheveled from everything that had happened today, “Fine...fine...see you tomorrow.” He said, turning around to head back up the stairs.

“Goodnight.” Levi said, studying the pictures again.

 

Eren parked his car in the driveway of his house, looking up at it, “Home...sweet home…” He muttered, pulling the key out of the ignition and opening the car door. Closing it after he got out, he locked it and walked up the path to his front door. As he got closer, the sound of a phone ringing became louder and louder. Eren found this strange.

Once he reached the door, the ringing stopped. Putting the house key in the lock, he turned it and unlocked the door, opening it and closing it behind him. As he closed the door, the ringing started up again. Eren sighed, taking his jacket off and hanging it up before walking into the kitchen, where he kept the phone on the counter.

Once he reached it, he grabbed the phone and pulled it from the receiver, lifting it up to his ear. He spoke, “Hello?”

A familiar slightly southern voice came through, “Ah! Finally! This is Detective Eren Jaeger, correct?”

Eren spun around, leaning against the counter, “Miss Leonhart?”

“Yes, it’s me. I was trying to get to you for hours, but you wouldn’t pick up.”

“Well...I was at work. Why didn’t you call me there? And how did you get this number?”

“I wanted this to be more private, and every celebrity has connections. I just wanted to say that I apologize for my rash and violent behavior earlier today.”

Eren shook his head, “No, don’t apologize. It was my fault, Miss Leonhart, I-”

“Please, just call me Annie.”

Eren stopped, nodding, “Alright...Annie, it was my fault, I brought up a subject that you were grieving about, and then I tried to comfort you about losing a friend that you have known for so long. I haven’t really experienced that, except with my parents, but those weren’t so recent. So you were right, I didn’t know what I was talking about.”

“No, please, Detective Jaeger, I want to apologize. My mother raised me to be a respectful lady who did _not_ bring her anger out on others. I want to make up for it.”

Eren looked off to the side, “What do you mean?”

There was a small moment of silence before her voice came back, “I want to invite you to my estate for dinner tomorrow night. During that, you can ask whatever questions you need, even ones about...about Mina.”

Eren pushed himself off of the counter, “Oh no, Annie, please, I really...I really shouldn’t.”

“Please, Detective Jaeger, I insist. Help me help you.”

“But, I don’t-”

“Please?”

Eren sighed before nodding, “All...Alright, but call me Eren. What time?”

“Alright, alright, Eren. How about...around seven?”

Eren gave a faint smile, “Sounds good. See you tomorrow, Annie. And...thank you.”

“No, Eren...thank you…and see you tomorrow.”

Eren then hung up, looking around his kitchen, he sighed again, “Well...looks like I am going on a date with California’s Sweetheart.” He said, walking out of the kitchen.

As he ascended the stairs up to his bedroom, he began to think more and more of the small blonde beauty he met earlier today. _She is rather fetching,_ he thought to himself, taking his hat off and placing it on top of a wardrobe, _but no, she can’t be interested in some lowlife detective like me._

As he got into bed, he laid on his side, looking out the window at the moon, wondering if Annie was doing the same.

_Or could she?_

****  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, comment if there are any issues or historical inaccuracies, or if you want to say you liked it. I hope you guys enjoyed, thank you for reading!


	5. Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren has two things to do. Find info about the case. And go on a date with Annette Leonhart.

**Chapter 5: Date**

_Battle of Kiska, August 15th, 1943. One last island to take before we can get out of this freezing fucking place. They called it Operation Cottage._

_The planes flying overhead didn’t hear any anti-aircraft fire as they flew over, but their ships were still there. So the Japs must still be holed up. Maybe if we analyzed more, then results would have been much better._

_We teamed up with the Canadians on this one. Us, the 7th Division, and the Canadian 13th Infantry Brigade, entered on opposite sides of the island._

_It was foggy and mountains were everywhere. I was scared to shit, being pretty young, nervous and jumpy as I thought one of those fucking Japs would come out and stab that bayonet right through me. In my opinion, my survival of Attu was luck. Pure luck._

_Suddenly, we could hear something approaching, we aimed at the source and began to fire with no prior analyzation of the sound. The other side began firing back. Some of us got wounded, others killed._

_It wasn’t until a minute after that we found out the ones we fired upon were the Canadians, who thought we were the Japs too. They got four dead and we got twenty-eight. They lucked out._

_Several other soldiers were killed from mines or booby traps. Others got frostbite, so more screaming and cutting, and some got trench foot. Some even went fucking missing._

_A ship, the USS Abner Read, hit a stray Japanese mine, killing seventy-one, and wounding forty-seven._

_The worst part?_

_The Japs had already left, knowing they could not defend. That was why the anti-aircraft guns were silent. If they only knew, if they only fucking knew._

****  
  


  
Eren’s eyes snapped open, breathing heavily as he woke from another dream. A dream of the war. _Fuck me,_ he thought to himself, _and fuck these dreams._ _The death of those Canadians still get to me. If we only fucking knew._

He shook his head, thinking it was pathetic to being waging a war in his own head when he has a job to do. _Oh, and I also have a date with a celebrity._

Eren swung his legs over the edge of the bed, his feet touching the ground so that he could stand up. He stretched his neck out before looking out the window, the ground was kind of dark. His eyes peered up to see clouds forming. _Fucking bipolar weather_ , he thought to himself, _but I do like the rain._

He got himself changed, same vest, same tie, same pants and shoes, before getting ready. Once he was done, he looked at himself in the mirror, checking himself over before going downstairs. He glanced at the Medal of Honor framed on the wall briefly before turning to the kitchen. _I should probably eat something,_ he thought to himself, sighing as he stepped into his kitchen, looking around to only see a box of cereal on the counter. _Good enough, I guess._

Getting a bowl, he poured the cereal into it, the Rice Krispies clinking against the porcelain one by one, gathering into a big pile.

Eren then turned to the fridge, opening it to get the milk...just to find out he has no milk. He stared at the fridge with a blank face. _I seriously forgot to buy milk...what the fuck...oh well, I guess dry cereal is always good._

He turned back to the cereal, reaching over to a drawer and pulling a spoon out. Placing that in the bowl, he sat down at the table, grabbing the spoon, ready to eat.

****  
  
  


After he was done, he dropped the bowl and the spoon in the sink before reaching up to open a cabinet, revealing a unopened bottle of bourbon. He held it with both hands, looking at the label before shrugging and opening it, taking a swig. He closed it then put it back in the cabinet, feeling refreshed.

Walking over to the hat stand, he grabbed his fedora and placed it on his head, readjusting it before sliding his thumb and forefinger across the rim. Then he put on his jacket, shooting his arms out before straightening his suit. He clasped both hands together, “Alright...time for work…” He muttered before walking out to his car. Getting in, he put the key in the ignition and turned it, the car coming to life not long after.

 

 

Levi was sitting at his desk, alone in the detective room, his head in his arms, his eyes closed as he slept on some papers. It was obvious that he had spent the night here, again, but this time he needed some rest. That was one problem with Levi. He spends too much time on a case because he wants to make sure justice has been fully dealt to all responsible. This has left his wife Hange very concerned, not only for his safety, but for his health.

As the detective room door swung wide open, Levi’s head snapped up, turning to look over his shoulder at his younger partner, standing there, cocking an eyebrow at his older partner. Levi cocked an eyebrow back, “Uh...good morning Eren.”

Eren nodded silently and sat down, “...Good morning…” He muttered, taking a deep breath as he got himself settled, staying pretty quiet as the thoughts of his date with Annie ran through his mind.

Levi raised both eyebrows, knowing something was wrong. Eren was quieter than usual. He spun his chair around, resting his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees, he studied his younger partner.

Eren only became aware of this a minute after, his eyes glancing up from his desk to see Levi, sitting there, watching him. The young man blinked, glancing to the side, “Uh...hey...Levi...what’s up?”

Levi narrowed his eyes, “You are too quiet. I kind of missed the loud Eren Jaeger, where is he?”

Eren blinked again, slightly confused, “What do you mean?”

The old detective sighed, “Something is obviously wrong...or right. What is it?”

The young man’s eyes widened briefly before going back to their original position, he shook his head, “Nothing...nothing…”

“Eren…” Levi began to growl.

Eren, fearing for his life, looked down at the knots of wood in his desk and sighed, “An...Annette Leonhart called me last night…” He said, looking up, “She wants me to come over tonight for dinner so that she could apologize.”

Levi’s eyebrows raised, “Oh?”

Eren narrowed his eyes, seeing a little tease coming up, “Levi...I swear…”

“So like a little date?”

“Levi…”

“Gonna pull her chair out for her?”

“Levi.”

“Gonna give her a kiss goodnight?” He asked before he began to laugh, slapping his knee.

Eren watched him laugh, his eyelids lowered slightly, “Alright...alright you had your fun?”

Levi took a moment to stop laughing, nodding, he pushed back any hair made unkempt by his guffaw, “Yeah...yeah, I am…” He said, choking a laugh out here and there.

Eren shook his head, just as Jean came in, “I heard some laughing…” He said, looking at Eren, then at Levi, who still looked like he just finished a laughing streak, “...Is...is it good?”

Levi glanced at Eren, who glared back. Levi smirked, “Eren is gonna have a little date with Miss Leonhart tonight...at her house…”

Jean opened his mouth in an O, glancing at the annoyed Eren, giving a catcall whistle, “Oooooh, Eren. Eren, Eren, Eren, Eren, Eren. That is some...hot stuff…”

Eren gently slammed his face on his desk, groaning, his hat falling off and landing on it’s , “Stop…just stop…”

Jean chuckled and patted Eren’s shoulder, “Relax, man. We are both just playing.”

Eren raised his head, glancing from Jean to Levi, before shaking his head, resting his face in his hands, “Alright...okay...I am just...nervous, I guess…”

Jean looked at Levi, who smirked back. The tall vice detective smirked, “Eren...have you ever been on a date with a girl? You’ve...never had a moll?”

Eren leaned back in his chair, “No...no I have not…”

Levi sighed and shook his head, “Uh...Jean...maybe we shouldn’t make fun of him for that…”

Jean cocked an eyebrow at the older detective, his eyes slowly widening, “No…”

Levi rolled his eyes, “Jean...don’t make a big deal out of this...Hange was the first girl I have ever went on a date with, end of story.”

Jean opened his mouth to say something, but when Levi is the one telling him to shut up, he stopped and walked to his desk, sitting down at it before opening a file.

Levi smirked at Eren, who gave a little chuckle, “Well, Annie is allowing me to ask her whatever questions I want.”

Levi raised his eyebrows, nodding, “Hmm...even about the dame?”

“You mean Mina? Yes.”

“So...you are calling her Annie now…”

“She told me to.”

“Well, that’s good. It means she is comfortable with you.”

“Yeah...that is good...but this isn’t about her and I, this is about getting a case solved.”

“Of course, of course.”

“...Though I am kind of nervous about it…”

_**Meanwhile** _

“Does red look better on me...or white?” Annette Leonhart asked herself, switching between holding one red dress in front of her and one white dress in front of her while in standing in front of the mirror.

“Red looks like it brings out my eyes, while white looks like it brings out my skin.” She said to herself.

“Mina would know…” She muttered, “She would know what looks perfect on me, and probably harass me to no end on it…” She smiled faintly, her lips quivering slightly before biting it to stop it. She turned her head down and closed her eyes, breathing heavily.

Annie took a deep breath and looked back up, smiling with slightly watery eyes, “I think I will go with...with red…” She decided, putting the white one back before her eyes ran themselves along the fabric of the red one, making sure every detail was perfect.

Just then, a knock came at her bedroom door. Her head turned as she put the red dress back, “Come in!”

The door opened, a large muscular blonde walking in, looking at Annie in her beige blouse with brown swing trousers. Her light blonde hair was undone, and fell down to her shoulders.

The man nodded to the celebrity, “I wanted to ask you...why did you decide to invite the homicide detective over tonight? I thought he made you angry last time?”

Annie placed her hands on her hips, turning her body towards her bodyguard, “Because, Reiner, I want to apologize for my misbehavior. You know me, I don’t bring my anger out on others. Only on you when we spar. I also find him...interesting...I want to know more about him.” She said, giving a laugh.

Reiner chuckled, “Alright, then, just be careful. We don’t know him that well.”

Annie smirked at her bodyguard, “Don’t worry about little ol’ me. I can take care of myself. Just go back to your duties. I got other things to worry about.”

Reiner hesitated, narrowing his eyes, before shrugging and nodding, “Of course, Miss Leonhart.” He said before walking back, closing the door behind him.

Annie sighed as she walked out of her bedroom and into the living room, her eyes landing on the piano sitting by the large window. Her feet padded against the floor as she made her way towards the instrument, sitting down and looking at all of the keys. She gave a deep breath, cracked her knuckles and began to play.

This was a sort of way for her to relax when she is panicking about something. Her favorite song to play was Moonlight Sonata. Her father got her into playing the piano, and bought her one back when she was eight. The first song she was able to successfully play was this piece from Beethoven, her fingers gently dancing along the white and black bars, her eyes closed as the notes were practically burnt into the inside of her eyelids.

Annie’s head moved slightly in directions as she hit the notes with perfection, her hair swinging wildly with her. Whenever she performs at her nightclub, which is often, she sometimes plays the piano while she sings, which has met with plenty of praise, certainly from the young men attending.

She has been asked out by those men after the show, but she always declined politely, saying she was not looking for a man in her life. But this Eren Jaeger...he has certainly sparked her interest. What got her the most was the fact that he had never heard of her. Never. Which was really interesting to her, and made him all the more appealing.

As she was about to enter the _presto agitato_ , the phone began to rang, causing her to mess up and push all of her fingers on the keys, breaking up and destroying the beautiful piece. She opened her eyes and turned to the phone, getting up to walk over. She picked it up, lifting it to her ear, “Hello?”

“Annette, it’s me.” A deep, almost jovial voice sounded on the other end.

Her eyes widened, “Father?”

“Yes, my dear, it is nice to hear your beautiful voice again. How are you?”

She narrowed her eyes, “I am just dandy, daddy. Now why did you _really_ call?”

“Awww...fine. I know this is late, but I wanted to express my condolences for the loss of your friend Mina. She was such a sweet girl, she was.”

Annie frowned, “Th-thank you...is there anything else?”

“Well I just wanted to know how the biz was doing too?”

“Shot up, and temporarily closed. Should be opened again soon, but I am not sure I will be able to go there anymore.”

“Why not, sweetie?”

“Because a vice detective and my best friend were shot to death in there!” She shouted, soon after she regained her composure, she took a deep breath, “Mina told me about this detective. Told me he was the kindest man to ever grace this Earth. I once sang a song for them. They were almost inseparable. Mina was...she was going to tell me some ‘great news’ the next day, and I just...I just can’t believe she is gone.”

“...Will you be okay, sweetheart?”

Annie wiped her eyes, “Yeah...yeah I will be fine…”

“Okay, sweetie. But there was another thing I wanted to talk about...you and some detective...I heard you two are going to be having dinner tonight. Am I incorrect in this assumption?”

Annie’s eyes widened, “How...how did you-”

“Darling, you know the amount of connections I have. I will always have my eyes on you. Protecting you. Anyway, just be careful. Men could be very dangerous. Love you, my little lion. Good luck!” He said before hanging up.

Annie placed the phone back on the receiver, crossing her arms as she walked over to the full length window that made up one half of the walls in the living room. Her eyes were set on Los Angeles. _Why couldn’t my father be a regular person? I hope Eren doesn’t get caught up in his bullshit._

_**That Night…** _

__

“How do I look, sis?” Eren asked, turning to his pregnant sister.

She examined him, tapping a finger onto her chin, she narrowed her eyes, “Well...first of all...you are wearing the same suit.”

Eren looked down at himself to see that he was still in his detective suit. He looked back up, scrunching up his mouth, “Well...I mean...it’s the only suit I have…”

“And, second of all…” She began, licking her thumb and half walking/waddling over, she reached up to fix his hair, “Your hair is fucked up.”

Eren’s eyes glanced up at his sister’s wrist, “How fucked up?”

“Not too fucked up, just...fucked up.”

“Thanks.”

“Is that sarcasm?”

“Maybe.”

“Ugh...this one bit of hair is just-ah! Got it!”

Eren turned to look at the mirror, smiling at his reflection, he laughed, “I really need to get an actual formal suit.”

Mikasa entered the reflection, placing her chin on his shoulder, “We can always get you one afterwards. I can take you shopping. Get you to a tailor.”

Eren smirked, “I guess I should do that. Just in case Miss Leonhart wants me to join some party...or something…”

Mikasa smiled, walking out of the way of the mirror, “Look at my brother, about to go on a date with a celebrity. Not just any celebrity, but California’ own Sweetheart.”

Eren laughed, walking past his sister, who followed him. As he descended the steps connecting the second floor to the first, he spoke, “She just wants to apologize. Also, this is mostly just to ask her some questions. Nothing less...maybe a bit more.”

Mikasa shook her head, smirking, “Well, go get her tiger. Jean will be picking me up soon.”

Eren stopped at the front door, “Alright, sis.” He said, turning to her, “And...thank you…”

Mikasa hugged Eren, “Anything to help my brother. Good luck.”

Eren nodded, waving her goodbye as he opened the door and walked out it, “Thanks!”

Mikasa closed the door behind him, smiling to herself, already planning the wedding arrangements in her head.

 

 

Eren looked up at Annie’s house from down below, driving up the road that leads to the village of real estate diamonds. _I hope Annie is not a part of this. Why would she be? Why would she shoot up her own club? She wouldn’t. She would not. It has to be some other person. Some other gang. It has to be a gang._

He was getting closer. His heart started to race as his breath picked up. He was getting nervous. He turned his car into the driveway, next to her Cisitalia Coupe. He peered over to the front door, seeing her two tough men guarding her door from any who might want to harm her. _Not me._

He got out of the car and walked around it, his leather shoes clicking against the stone path up to the front door. The two men’s eyes followed him until he was standing in front of both of them, their bodies towering over his.

The muscular one looked down upon the homicide detective, nodding to him, “Welcome. Detective Jaeger. Please wait here as I inform Miss Leonhart of your arrival.”

Eren nodded, “Alright, thank you.”

Reiner nodded and turned to the door, opening it and entering the house of the celebrity. The door closed shut, leaving Eren out in the open with the tall bodyguard, Bertholdt. He kept his posture up and straight, his fingers interlocked behind his back, his eyes staring forward like a royal guard of Buckingham Palace, protecting his “queen”. Eren admired the constant posture, his eyes gliding over his arms, when they stopped and fixated on one point.

There was a red splotch on his right shoulder. Eren cocked an eyebrow at it, “Uh...Bertholdt, right? Bertholdt, your shoulder is bleeding.”

Bertholdt looked down at the detective before turning his head to look at his shoulder, seeing the splotch himself, then he winced, probably at seeing himself bleeding. He placed a hand on his shoulder, “Shit.” He muttered.

Eren narrowed his eyes, “How did you get that?”

Bertholdt’s head snapped to Eren, his eyes darting around, as if looking for an answer, “Well...uh...I was...doing some work on my place...and I fell off the ladder onto a large nail.”

Eren nodded and winced himself, “Man, that must hurt.”

Bertholdt nodded, “You have no idea.”

Eren chuckled, “I do, actually. I was in Okinawa.”

“Really? What division?”

“7th Infantry Division. Black Widow.”

“I was in the 96th Infantry Division. Dead-Eye Division.”

Eren took a step back, “No shit? Huh, you guys secured Conical Hill.”

“Yep, I think I remember you now...you got a Medal of Honor right?”

“Well...yeah…”

“How did you-”

The door opened, and Reiner walked out, “Miss Leonhart will accept you now.”

Eren walked past Reiner into the estate, seeing the inside for a second time. This time, though, it was at night, making it somehow look much more pleasant and fanciful. Sophisticated. Especially with the view of a lit up Los Angeles just outside the window.

The young detective marveled at the place as he walked on the marble floor, reaching up to pull off his hat, his other hand smoothing out his hair. He placed the hat on a hat stand, walking into what he assumed to be the dining room, a large room with a large table. This room also had a view of Los Angeles. A small table with one chair on opposite ends sat next to the window off to the side of the much larger table. This smaller table had a candle lit in the center.

Eren walked to the small table, sitting down on the chair farther from the entrance to the dining room. He rested his elbows on the table and looked out the window, the padding of feet from behind too silent to reach his ears. He suddenly heard the voice of the angel herself.

“Ahh, Eren! So nice to see you!”

Eren jumped slightly, looking up to see Annie standing next to him, wearing a red formal dress with red elbow length gloves. She also had mascara and red lipstick, flashing her pearly whites as she sat down across from him, looking off to the side at another door, “I hired a professional chef for this occasion. Do you like steak, Eren?”

Eren smiled at the young lady, nodding, “Yes I do, ma’am. By the way you look very beautiful.”

She nodded and blushed, “Aww, thank you. And good. Well...anyway, I first want to say I am sorry for the way I acted yesterday. It was rude and came out of nowhere.”

Eren shook his head, “Do not apologize for that, Annie, it was understandable. You were grieving. I would’ve done the same thing.”

“Yes, but my mother taught me to be like a lady, which means be kind to all who are kind to me.”

Eren nodded, “Alright...well...I accept your apology, Annie.”

She gave a faint smile, “Thank you, detective.”

Eren smiled back, “So, I am also here to ask you some questions.”

Annie looked at him and nodded, “Of course. Fire away, I want to help find the killers.”

Eren found that to be genuine, but stayed on task, “Alright,” He began, looking down at himself, he straightened his tie, “Uh...your family. The Leonharts. Tell me about them and the connections they have.”

Annie shook her head “You got me wrong, detective, I barely have any contact with my family. My father calls me from time to time. He also gives me gifts, like cars. He knows I like cars. Other than that, nothing.”

Eren nodded, “Alright...has Mina been in any troubles recently? With gangs or men in general? Or even women, for that matter?”

Annie instantly shook her head, “No, Eren, you got her all wrong. Mina was the sweetest girl I have ever known. Sure she may have been too happy all the time, but can you really blame a girl for that? No. So no, no  troubles.”

Eren nodded, “Uh...can you account for where your two bodyguards were the night of the shooting?”

Annie nodded, “Right here, guarding me, like they always do. I remembered I told them goodnight, then I went to bed.”

Eren wrinkled his nose, the kitchen door opening. A chef pushing a tray with two plates on it wheeled his way over. Once he arrived at their table, he picked up both plates and placed them in front of Eren and Annie, then left them to themselves.

Eren was looking at the food when his mind remembered something. The dress! He turned his head up to the celebrity in front of him, “May I, uh...use the bathroom? I need to freshen up.”

Annie looked up from her food, her light blue sparkling eyes scanning him, analyzing him, before she nodded, “Of course, detective. Down the hall, take a right.”

Eren smiled and nodded, muttering a ‘thank you’ before getting up and walking the way she pointed out to him. He turned a right and saw the door to her room, and the bathroom right next to it. He opened the former, looking around her room. He saw a row of dresses hanging off in a corner. He walked over and already began to rifle through them, looking at each and everyone.

Eren’s hand grabbed a white dress. His eyes widened as he slowly pulled it out, revealing what looked to be a plain white dress. With no embroidery.

He sighed in relief. _Thank god, now we just need to check those cars out,_ he thought to himself as he walked out of the room. He slowly closed the door behind him, trying to be silent as he took a few steps to the bathroom door.

Opening that carefully, he entered and walked into the bathroom, reaching over to flush the toilet. He then turned to the sink, turning it on, he began to wash his hands. He turned the sink off and wiped his hands on a nearby towel before walking out, closing the door behind himself.

As he turned the corner, he stopped to look at his date in all of her beauty. She was looked down at herself, pulling her gloves off and putting them down on the table, exposing her small delicate looking hands. She looked up, noticing the detective admiring her.

She gave a small smile, “Took you a while, detective. Been wondering if you fell in or something.”

Eren blinked, snapping him out of his trance as he laughed and shrugged, “No, I am still here.”

Annie nodded, “Well obviously. Now sit, we should eat.”

Eren nodded and sat down, starting to cut into his steak.

Annie bit a piece off of her fork, swallowing it down “So, Eren, I wanted to know if I could ask a few questions of my own?”

Eren ate a small piece, looking up, “Uh...sure...yeah, go ahead…”

Annie smiled, “Tell me...hmm...tell me about your life.”

Eren blinked, “Oh...all of it? Alright...well...I was born Eren Jaeger, no middle name, on March 30th, 1922, to Grisha and Karla Jaeger. I was kind of a...a rascal in school. But then my father went to Japan on a trip and found this girl named Mikasa on the streets, trying to survive. He brought her back to America and she became my sister. She watched over me, made sure I was doing okay. When I was...I think thirteen, my mother passed away from...some disease...I forgot...fuck I am horrible.” He said, scratching the back of his neck.

Annie shook her head, “No...don’t think that...life gets busy, you forget things. Also, I was born on March 22nd, 1921.”

Eren nodded and smiled, “Thanks, and that’s cool.”

“Anyway, continue.”

Eren nodded, “Right, right...uh...when I was about nineteen, Pearl Harbor happened...and I decided to join the army. I was 7th Infantry Division. My father passed away from a car crash when I was still there. I got a Medal of Honor for what I did in Okinawa. When I came back, I got a job as a police officer, then as a detective, and here I am.”

Annie nodded, “So...what happened in Okinawa?”

Eren looked down, glancing up at her. Quickly he turned his head back up, “Next question, please.”

Annie’s eyes widened, but she nodded in understanding, “Okay...so...do you...have any loves in your life? Or had a girlfriend?”

Eren cocked an eyebrow at the question, “Uh...no I haven’t...in fact...this is actually my...my first date…”

Annie smirked, “Oh really? Well this is my first real date. I have had other dates before, but it was just to make men look good. I am done doing that.”

Eren nodded, “Nice to know.” He said, finishing up his food, “I wanted to ask something.”

Annie finished her food as well, “Yes?”

“That Cisitalia Coupe out there, those are rare. I found it interesting that you have one.”

Annie smiled faintly and gave a short laugh, “Yes, my father got it for me. I have a whole bunch of rare cars in my garage.”

Eren’s eyes widened, “Really? Can I see them?”

Annie nodded, “Yeah, come on.” She said as she stood up, Eren doing the same. He followed her to a door near the front door, opening it and walking in.

She reached to the left and flicked a switch. Lights from above turned on, one by one, farther and farther down the wide garage, giving light to reveal some of the rarest cars ever.

Eren’s eyes lit up at seeing all of them, walking along with Annie as they passed by them. Every rare car he could know of was standing right in front of him, even the…

**Delage D8.**

Eren’s eyes glided over the beautifully designed car, his mind running with thoughts, one of which was prominent over the others.

_Annie is involved._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well, another kind of boring chapter, but it’s important, next chapter will be better. In both categories of romance and action. I hope you all enjoyed. If there are any problems, please leave a comment. Thanks for reading!


	6. Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another date? Sounds lovely! If only it ended well.

**Chapter 6: Ball**

 

Eren’s eyes glided over the extremely rare car, wide and surprised, as this could only mean one thing. _Annie is involved in the shooting of her own nightclub. But why? Why would she do such a thing? It seems impossible that it would be her._ He thought to himself, not aware of the fact that the celebrity he was thinking about was trying to get his attention right now.

“en...Eren...Detective Jaeger?” Annie said, concerned, placing a hand on his shoulder and shaking him gently.

Eren blinked, snapping out of his trance. He blinked a couple more times before turning his head to look at his date, “Yes?” He asked.

Annie cocked an eyebrow, letting go of his shoulder, “You okay?”

Eren’s eyes widened as he realized he had been staring at the car for probably a long time, “Uhhh...yeah, it’s just,” He began, looking at the car and gesturing to it, “I have never seen one of these before. I heard they were really, _really_ rare.”

Annie glanced at the Delage, smirking and nodding, “Ahh, yeah...my father looked everywhere to get it for me for my twenty-fourth birthday. I’ll admit, I was excited to get it. I am kind of a...a car lady, if you will.”

Eren grinned and gave a small laugh, “Yeah, my dad got me into cars, too.”

Annie nodded, “That’s funny.”

Eren nodded back, a silence growing in between them, with some awkwardness thrown in there. Eren was the next one to speak up.

“Well...uh...I should, uh...I should go…it’s getting pretty...late…

Annie crossed her arms, looking down at her feet, “Uh...hm...okay...can I show you out to your car?”

Eren smiled and nodded, “Sure...if you want to, I mean, if you don’t want to, that’s fine.”

Annie shook her head, “No, I would love to, detective, please, come.” She said, gesturing for him to follow her as she began to walk towards the door out of the garage, her small feet padding against the stone floor, passing the extraordinary pieces of vehicular art.

Eren followed after her, his leather shoes clacking against the floor, looking at the cars as they passed them, his eyes gliding over those as well, marvelling at such mobile architecture. _Must’ve been a lot of money to get th- wait, no, stay on task. Annie has the car. Why would she do this? How could she do such a thi-_

_Thunk_

Eren found himself stumbling back from the wall next to the door, his hat falling backwards onto the floor. He blinked and shook his head, “Ahh...fuck…”

Annie poked her head out of the door leading out of the garage, smirking at the sight of seeing her date bending down to pick up his hat and put it back on his head, “You should look where you are going, Jaeger.”

Eren laughed as he placed the hat on his head, following the lady out the door, “Turn the lights off, Eren.”

Eren’s eyes lit up as he nodded and reached back around the corner to turn the lights off then closing the door, shutting the room into utter darkness.

Eren walked a bit ahead of Annie to open the door for her, giving her a smile. She simply gave him a nod and walked past him and her guards standing on the other side. Eren closed the door behind himself as he allowed the celebrity to lead him to his car.

“Hey Eren, I wanted to know if you may have free time two days from now, on Friday?” She asked, looking over her shoulder at him.

Eren cocked an eyebrow before shrugging, “I can take a day or night off. Why?”

Annie stopped in front of his car, glancing at the detective, “I need a date to a ball at the Hollywood Palladium, hosted by Historia Reiss herself. I want to know if you would be able to be that date?”

Eren opened the door to his car, resting his elbow on the roof as he pondered the question. He slowly began to nod, “Alright, I can go.”

Annie looked him up and down before gesturing to his suit, “You are going to need a fancier suit.”

Eren smiled and gave a short laugh, “Yeah...yeah, I know. I will, my sister can help me with that.”

Annie nodded, chuckling slightly, “Okay, Eren. See you in two days. We will just be dancing and talking with others, it will be fun. Don’t be late. Goodnight, Detective Jaeger.” She said with a smirk.

Eren grinned back, “Goodnight, Miss Leonhart.” He said before getting into his car and starting it up before driving out of the driveway, making sure to get one good look at the celebrity before he left her standing there. She crossed her arms, watching the Oldsmobile as it rode away, carrying away the second man in her life to make some sort of impact on her. She grabbed her arm with her other hand, looking down before turning her head back up and walking back to her home.

****  
  


Eren opened the door to his house, walking through with a confused look. _Why would she shoot up her own club?_ Was the question that kept on running through his mind.

He closed the door behind him, taking off his suit and putting it on the hat stand, along with his hat. His eyes scanned the walls of his house, spotting the kitchen to his left. He blinked at it before walking into it, his target being one of the cabinets lining the wall above the counter.

Reaching up, he opened the small cabinet doors to reveal the bottle of bourbon he drank this morning. He took it by the neck and opened it, taking a swig before closing it and putting it back in the cabinet. Closing the cabinet doors, he blinked a few times before shaking his head and running his fingers through his hair. _Fuck, this is just so confusing to me. She wouldn’t do this. Or would she? Fucking...god…_

He lowered his hands from his hair and walked out of the room, going up the steps. He began to unbutton his vest, taking it off. As he entered his room, he threw the vest to the side before taking his shoes off and throwing those off to the side before falling into bed, loosening his tie, his mind an endless maze of questions.

And before long, after the criminalizing thought of what appeared to be an innocent young woman, the detective fell asleep. Only to fall into another nightmare.

****  
  


_Battle of Kwajalein, January 31st, 1944. Operation Flintlock. Finally, I am out of the fucking cold. But this is kind of a case of “out of the frying pan, into the fire”. Now we are in the Marshall Islands. Before D-Day, Liberators bombed the place. We took Majuro no problem with the V Amphibious Corps Marine Reconnaissance, the 2nd Battalion, the 106th infantry, and us, the 7th infantry division. No casualties for us. Easy peasy._

_Now it was time for the capturing. The 7th infantry, us, were going to land on Kwajalein, while the 4th Marine Division landed on Roi Namur. For the 4th, they had trouble due to weather. But they got the island rather smoothly.  Not as smoothly as us though._

_February 1st. Our turn. We landed with great efficiency and order, all of the men, vehicles, and equipment unloaded with almost perfection._

_They of course countered us, but we smoked them good. On February 2nd, by the time the island was secured, only about 265 Japs were alive, taken as prisoners. We lost about 1 for every 100._

_I guess the worst setback happened on the 1st of February. Not with us, we were fine. But the 4th, capturing Roi Namur. A demolitions team threw a charge into a bunker that was a storage facility for torpedo warheads. Twenty were killed, dozens were wounded. All the families of those men, losing a member from a stupid mistake._

Eren shot up from his bed, sweat matting his hair and clinging it to his forehead. He lifted his hand up to his head, wiping the sweat off. Looking at his palm, he could see it glisten, shining with the sunlight as it fell upon it.

He ran his fingers through his slick wet hair, he just ignored the fact that he had another nightmare, or at least, tried to ignore it. He closed his eyes and pushed it as far as he could to the back of his brain, nailing it back. Opening his eyes, his pupils darting around at the various objects in his rooms. Model cars, baseballs cards, pictures of older times. He decided not to dwell on the latter, as the memories would just be way too much for a man like him in this moment. Quickly he stood, looking down at himself, “Alright. Time to get ready.”

 

This time, Eren decided to dress in a different suit. It was like his dark blue pinstripe suit, but brown.

Eren was bent over the sink, spitting out the frothy substance of toothpaste mixed with saliva. He washed it out and turned his head up to look at himself in the mirror. He stared into his own eyes, somehow sensing the destruction their owner has wrought, the deaths their owner has caused, the sights that their owner has seen.

Immediately, his view changed. At first, he looked to be a regular young detective, in the bathroom of his own home.

But then, he blinked, and suddenly there was fire all around him. And death. And bodies. And destruction. And war.

He looked in the reflection of the water barrel he was bent over, looking at himself. Blood was smeared all over, cuts and bruises producing a fine paint across the surface of his skin. His hair was matted and his eyes were bloodshot.

That’s when it hit him.

The smell. The one that churns and twists your stomach. The one that can make any nose wrinkle in distorted ways. The one that can send you reeling back in disgust.

_The smell of burning corpses._

As soon as the scent entered Eren’s nostrils, he held back the urge to regurgitate the rations he had that morning, his back arching as he lowered his head closer to the water. Coughing and sputtering. His dry heaves were going nowhere. So he just stood there, looking at himself, breathing heavily as his fingers gripped the edges of the barrel tight.

He blinked, and suddenly, he was back home, gripping the sink, his knuckles turning white as he slowly turned his head up to look at himself. He was clean. No bloodshot eyes, no blood, no dirt. Only the look of sheer horror as he looked back down, sighing shakily.

Eren pushed himself away from the sink, turning around and heading out of the bathroom, descending the steps down to the first floor. He stopped by the kitchen, looking at it, before putting a hand up to his mouth and shaking his head, grabbing his hat and jacket and leaving.

****  
  


Eren opened the doors to the police station, blinking a few more times and wiping whatever sweat was left on his brow. He ascended the stairs to the second floor, walking off to the left to get to the detective room. Opening the door, he turned to the right to tell Levi something, but stopped.

Levi wasn’t sitting there. _Well there is one other place he could be,_ he thought to himself, noticing as Jean spun around in his chair, cocking an eyebrow at Eren before smiling, “Hey there, bachelor. How was that date?”

Eren ignored his question, pointing to Levi’s desk, “He is downstairs?”

Jean glanced at the empty desk before gesturing to the door, “Yeah…”

Eren nodded and turned around to head out the door.

Jean cocked an eyebrow, tipping his hat back before getting up and following after the young homicide detective.

As Eren descended the steps, Jean caught up, “Hey, Eren, how’d that date go?”

“I will tell later.” Eren replied, reaching the first floor and following the way to the steps that led down to the sub-section of the station that Levi frequented.

Eren looked to the side to see Levi looking at some pictures of the Leonhart family. He looked up, “Hey there, Eren. How did that date go?”

Eren nodded as he reached the bottom, taking a few steps towards the table Levi was situated at, “Uh...great...it went good, we had a, uh...a good time.”

Levi nodded, looking at the anxious Eren, who was peering downward, “So...any info?”

Eren’s eyes snapped up, “Oh, right, uh...no embroidered dress. She said she only talks to her father from time to time. But…”

Levi cocked an eyebrow, “But…?”

Eren glanced at Jean, who frowned back. He looked at Levi, “She has the car. The...the Delage D8.”

Levi blinked, his face blank as he nodded, not saying anything.

“But her father got it for her.”

Levi glanced up, “Is that so? So you think she may have _nothing_ to do with this?”

The younger detective shook his head, “It’s an option.”

“But not a likely one. Anything else?”

“Well...she invited me to the Reiss ball at the Hollywood Palladium.”

Jean’s eyes widened, “The one hosted by the Mayor’s daughter?”

Eren turned to look at Jean, “Yeah.”

Levi nodded, “Well...go to it then, you need to find out as much as you can about her.”

Eren nodded, “I feel kinda...bad, going to the ball only to learn more about her.”

Levi shook his head, “Don’t think of it like that, we need this information.”

“Alright, sir, I will go.”

Jean nudged him, “But we both know you were going to go anyway...for her.”

Eren smirked at the vice detective, “Shutup, man.”

Levi glanced at the two, before settling his eyes on his partner, “You should get a suit, a real one.”

_**Two Days Later...** _

 

“Fucking...thing…” Eren cursed, struggling with his bowtie, pulling it here and there to no avail. He frowned at himself in the mirror.

_I survived through war, and I still can’t tie a fucking bowtie!_

Just then, his sister Mikasa walked in, stopping at the threshold, cocking an eyebrow at her brother as she leaned against the doorframe, “Having troubles?”

Eren glanced at Mikasa before looking back at the bowtie, “I might be…”

Mikasa sighed and walked over, grabbing both ends of the tie, crossing them as she began to tie it for him, “Why don’t you just wear the service uniform you got from the war?”

Eren pursed his lips before retracting them, “I just...don’t want the attention, you know? I don’t want people to congratulate me for my service.”

“Why not?” She asked, glancing at him from time to time as she tied.

“I just...don’t…”

“Well, alright,” She said, finishing the bowtie before stepping back and looking at him, “Wow...two dates in one week...I think she likes you.”

Eren smirked, looking at himself in the mirror, making sure he looked okay, “I think...that you are jumping to conclusions.”

Mikasa smirked back, “Well, either way, she has a handsome young man to take to the ball. You should probably get going. Don’t let me keep you.”

Eren smiled and hugged his sister, “Alright, see you later, sis.” He said, giving her a kiss on the forehead before walking out of his room.

Mikasa followed him downstairs, walking outside with him and waving goodbye as he drove away in his car. When he was gone, she went back inside.

The Hollywood Palladium was quite the site to see, especially at night. The many lights could be seen from miles around, shining brighter than the moon.

Dozens of cars were lined up against the sidewalk on both sides of the street, as anyone who is anyone in L.A. is going to come to this event.

Eren had to park quite the distance away, but he did not mind. He stopped his car, taking the key out of the ignition before getting out. He looked at the Palladium from afar, closing the door and slowly walking towards it like a fly to a fly trap.

The car he saw parked directly outside of the joint was none other than the Cisitalia Coupe, owned by the famous Annette Leonhart. It was her favorite car; small and fast, like her.

Eren could see the beautiful celebrity standing next to it on the sidewalk, her eyes searching everywhere for her date. Her eyes then landed on the man, the dashing young detective. The corners of her lips turned up in a smile as she waited for him to walk over.

Once Eren got close enough, he looked at her dress. A white ball gown, but one she could move easily in. She picked up both sides of her dress and bowed in a curtsy, laughing as she did so, “It is so nice to see you, Detective Jaeger. What a handsome suit.” She said, her slight southern accent coming out. She held out her hand to him, palm facing down.

Eren took her hand, “And it is nice to see you too, Miss Leonhart.” He said, raising her hand up to his lips, kissing it. This caused the woman to shiver in excitement, “May I say you look quite beautiful?”

She grabbed his hand, nodding and blushing, “You shall, thank you. Well, let’s get in, shall we? I got a table just for us.”

Eren’s eyes widened, “Just for us? Who are you friends with to get that?”

Annie smiled and led him into the Palladium, the whole room packed, passing by many famous celebrities talking to each other, from Dean Martin to Lucille Ball. Eren couldn’t believe who came to this event. Some of them even greeted the young celebrity herself. Sometimes she and another celebrity gave each other cheek kisses, talking a bit, saying things like “How’s the baby?” to “Tell your mother I said hello.” before moving along.

Eventually they reached their round white table, complete with a candle in a glass, wrapped up silverware, and a embroidered table cloth. Eren pulled Annie’s chair out for her, the young lady nodding to him before sitting down. Eren sat down next to her, smiling at her, “So how did you get this table?”

Annie looked at him, “I am...sorta friends with the mayor’s daughter. She came to see some of my performances and talked to me afterwards. She is an absolute sweetie, through and through. She even gave me a call when Mina passed.”

Eren nodded, “I never met her, only saw her in the newspapers.”

“Well she will be coming onto the stage soon. So just you wa-”

“Ladies and Gentlemen! Please take your seats!”

Eren and Annie looked over to see a small lady, smaller than Annie, dressed in a white dress, standing on the stage, her gorgeous looks visible for all to see as she held the microphone stand, looking out at everyone.

Once everyone was seated, and all was silent, she nodded and began, “Welcome to the First Reiss Ball!” She exclaimed with a very sweet voice, holding her arms out to the side as everyone clapped.

Once the thunder of claps died down, she nodded and spoke again, “This is something I have been wanting to do for a while now. I would like to thank all of you that could make it out tonight. Oh, and everyone is so beautifully dressed too! I am in my favorite dress tonight, one I love to wear.” She said, twirling around. As she did this, Eren’s eyes widened.

On the back of her dress, the embroidery of two wings were placed on it. _That’s the dress,_ he thought to himself as everyone else was clapping. _That’s the dress._

Historia stopped, smiling, “Thank you. Thank you. Anyway, the biggest reason I made this was to address the problems of poverty in this beautiful city. I have seen men...women...children, out on the streets, begging for help. There are a few boxes in front of the stage. If you can, please, donate to the cause. So that this city could again...be the City of Angels.”

Everyone began to clap again. Eventually it died down. Eren’s mind was still on the dress, but was shocked out of reality when Historia shouted, “Now let’s dance!”

Everyone got up and began to dance in the center of the ballroom as the band began to play. Eren watched them, glancing at Annie, who was watching them as well, her face blank of any emotion, as if waiting for something.

_I don’t want to ruin this for her,_ he thought to himself, standing up, _I will tell Levi and Jean tomorrow._

He walked over so that he was standing in front of Annie. She turned her head up, seeing Eren holding his hand out to her, “Would you like to dance, Miss Leonhart?”

She looked at him for a moment before smiling and taking his hand, standing up, “I would want nothing more than to do so, Mister Jaeger.”

Eren smiled as he led her out to the dance floor, taking her right hand in his left and his wrist around her hip, while her left hand grabbed onto his shoulder.

They looked into each other’s eyes, smiling, before Eren pulled her arm and she turned her front to one side as he turned his to the other, both of them kicking one of their legs out, then back to regular position, then again, repeating it for a few times.

They then held onto each other’s hands, Eren pulled at one, then the other, over and over again, as Annie twisted her body with his pulls. They did this while lightly hopping in circles.

After that, Eren took her right hand with his right hand, and they twisted to opposite sides, kicking their foot out, before twisting back and grabbed each other’s left hand, twisting, and kicking to opposite sides.

Annie then spun around before Eren grabbed her right hand with his left, stretching his arm out to allow her to twirl out and twist her body to the side, her left hand raising up. He pulled her in close, then stretching his arm out so that she could twist out again before coming back in. Eren held her hand up to that she could twirl past him.

As she twirled out, they twisted towards the opposite sides and kicked out, pulling back in and doing it again, then again, dancing in a circle.

Eren then brought her back to the first position, both of them twirling around before they began to lightly hop again, at some points backstepping before bringing their foot back in. Eren and Annie continued to dance the East Coast Lindy Hop for a while.

 

After tiring each other out, as well as the band switching to a softer song, they pulled each other close, Eren’s hands landing on her waist, while Annie held onto his shoulders. They circled each other slowly, smiling at each other. This gave them some time to speak.

Annie looked down, biting her lip, “You know...you’re the first man I ever...really danced with.”

Eren cocked an eyebrow, “Really? No prom?”

Annie shook her head, looking back up, “No...I never went to prom...I just didn’t care enough to go.”

Eren gave a short chuckle, “Same here…and you’re the first woman I have ever danced with.”

Annie looked down again, blushing, “Eren...I am glad you are here, tonight, dancing with me...I wouldn’t have anyone else do it. I just feel this connection with you, a undying interest.”

Eren nodded, “Yeah, me too. I just...sometimes couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

Annie looked up, “Me too.”

Eren smiled, “You know, Annie...under this light...or any light, for that matter...you look lovely…”

Annie smiled, “Why, thank you, Eren…”

Suddenly they stopped dancing, and just stared at each other, Eren’s emerald eyes into Annie’s sapphire ones. Annie could feel Eren’s warm breath hit her skin, which felt good to her somehow. She slowly began to lean in closer, her eyes glancing to his lips. He began to lean in too, closing his eyes to accept the kiss she is about to give.

The sound of doors being kicked open stopped the connection of their lips, followed by the sound of people screaming as Eren realized what was going on before he could even look over. He wrapped an arm around Annie and pulled her down to the ground, just as the bullets started to fly.

The two gunmen were standing in the doorway, holding typewriters, mowing people down. Blood splattered the walls as many lives were cut down. Eren was on top of Annie, protecting her from anything that harmed her. Meanwhile, the actress looked up at Eren with wide eyes, who was looking to the side to see if anyone was coming up.

Not long after, the guns went _click_ , and the men said something to each other before their footsteps were heard. Annie looked and saw the doorway empty, and pushed Eren off, “Come on!” She said, reaching to pull off her shoes, “We gotta get ‘em!” She said, standing up, she looked around, seeing the dead and wounded people.

Eren got up, “Wait what?” He asked.

Annie made a noise of frustration, reaching over and grabbing his hand, “We have to get those bastards!” She shouted, pulling him along.

Eren followed blindly, until his mind registered what was happening, then he ran ahead, pulling her along, “Which car we taking?” He asked as they ran outside, seeing the gunmen driving past.

Annie ran to her coupe, “Mine! Get in! I’ll drive!”

Eren nodded, getting in the passengers seat as Annie started up the car, putting it in drive and flooring it, following after the triggermen.

The sounds of honking cars and screeching tires coming close then fading away as they tried to catch up with them. The lights streaked past them, creating quite the sight for anyone who cares. But right now, these two don’t car.

Soon after, the back of the car they were after coming closer to them. Eren then thought of how he was going to get them to stop. He turned to look at Annie.

“Do you have a gun?”

Annie glanced over briefly before setting her eyes on the car, gesturing to the glove box, “I keep one in there, with some ammo!”

Eren reached over and opened the glove box, his eyes landing on quite a piece of weaponized art.

He pulled out a nickel plated Smith & Wesson Model 27 with pearl grips and a six inch barrel. He looked at it before setting his eyes on the car ahead of them. He opened the passenger seat window and carefully leaned out the window.

He slowly raised the gun in his hand, his eyes looking down the iron sights, trying to keep himself steady. His index finger wrapped tightly around the trigger.

_Let’s get these sons of bitches._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yeah I probably screwed up the East Coast Lindy Hope, but it is very hard for me to describe that stuff. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading!


	7. Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hot on their heels, Eren and Annie try to bring down the mysterious gunmen. But are they ready to find out who they are?

**Chapter 7: Chase**

 

Eren’s eyes were set on the car, the barrel pointed towards the passenger side window, ready to fire. Eren took a deep breath before squeezing the trigger, the double action revolver’s hammer pulling back and slamming down, sending a .38 Special bullet blasting out of the barrel in a spectacle of fire, and through the window of the passenger side door, making the gunman sitting on that side jump as he saw the bullet pierce through his window, and break the windshield. He lifted his foot and kicked the windshield, making it shatter to pieces, so that they could see again.

The gunman then pulled his gun up and leaned out the window, aiming at them. Eren’s eyes widened, and he pushed Annie down low enough, “Annie, watch out!”

The windshield shattered as the bullets came flying through, sending the glass everywhere. Bullet holes appeared all over the interior of the car, giving it the look of a war zone. Annie screamed from the sudden hail of gunfire, but calmed down not long after, trying to keep the car steady.

Eventually, the hail of gunfire stopped, as the gunman needed to reload. Eren took this as an opportunity to lean out of the window and shoot at the car. He shot once, hitting the side, sending a spark across the pavement while leaving a nice hole. He shot again, this time hitting the trunk, the bullet becoming a new object in the empty container. He shot once again, this time hitting the side mirror, breaking the glass into a web of shards. He shot again, hitting the back window, causing it to shatter and fall to pieces. He shot the last bullet in the cylinder, hitting skidding across the roof with a show of sparks before disappearing.

Eren pulled the trigger, the hammer pulling back and slamming down, but nothing happened, only a click to tell him he was empty.

Eren pulled himself back into the car, his eyes darting from the car in front to the gun in his hands as he jerked the gun to the side, the cylinder popping out. Eren pointed the gun up, letting all of the spent casings fall to the floor of the Coupe with _clinks_ and _clanks_. He glanced up to see the gunman, leaning out, aiming his Thompson.

“Annie, down!” He shouted, both of them ducking down as the hail of bullets came through again, ruining the leather of Eren’s seat. Eren reached into the glove compartment, pulling out a box of bullets. He opened it and dumped it all over the ground. He reached down and picked one up, inserting it into one of the holes in the cylinder before snapping it shut. He waited, taking a deep breath.

The gunfire stopped, Eren quickly came back up, aiming the gun while still in the car, and pulling the trigger. The bullet pierced through the air, entering the gunman’s hat, which sent it falling off of the man’s head and onto the road. Eren could see a flash of short blonde hair before the man ducked back in, scared from how close to death he just was.

Eren took this to open the cylinder, pointing the gun up to let the one bullet fly out before grabbing a whole handful of bullets on the ground and coming back up, inserting the bullets one-by-one, into the cylinder. Once it was full, he dropped the remaining bullets in his hand, spun the cylinder, and snapped it shut.

He leaned back out the window, looking for a good place to aim. His eyes landed on the tires, and quickly he aimed and shot. The bullet hit the tarmac, sending a few sparks flying. Eren cursed himself and shot again, hitting the metal of the car. He cursed again and began to shoot over and over again, until he was at the last bullet, and still the wheel was not busted.

Eren stopped, inhaled and raised the gun, aiming at the wheel. He slowly exhaled, and pulled the trigger.

The rubber popped, sending all of the air inside out in a forceful manner. The uncovered tire grinded against the pavement, the sudden change causing the driver to twist the wheel left and right to try and maintain balance.

The car twisted to the side, then tipped over, rolling down the street a few times before finally landing on it’s roof and spiraling, the sparks shooting everywhere like fireworks. Then it skidded to a stop.

Annie stomped on the brakes, the car screeching to a halt in front of the wreck. People were beginning to group around the crashed car as Eren held a hand out to Annie, “You stay here, I will go check.” He said, already done reloading his pistol and snapping it shut.

He felt his hand get slapped, “No way, this includes me, Eren.” She said, getting out.

Eren sighed and got out, hearing a banging sound. He looked over to the overturned car to see the passenger side door get kicked open, the gunman getting out with his gun. The sight of the weapon made everyone around run and scream in panic. But Eren and Annie stayed, getting into cover behind the Coupe’s doors just in time for the hail of bullets to returned.

Only to be stopped shortly after.

Eren cocked an eyebrow as he peered through the car door window at the gunman, seeing a freshly made bullet hole in the center of his forehead. He stood for a second before falling back, dead.

Eren stood up, seeing as Annie walked over, her bare feet padding against the tarmac as she carefully maneuvered around the broken glass. A Colt .38 Detective Special was held in her hand, the small pistol’s barrel emitting smoke.

She stopped in front of the body, nudging it with her bare foot, before looking at the confused Eren. She smirked and lifted her skirt, showing a thigh holster around her right leg.

Eren smirked back, walking over to the body as he gave a short laugh, tucking the pistol into his pants to pull out his cigarette case. He placed a cigarette in his mouth before getting out his lighter, flicking it to light his cigarette. He snapped the lighter shut and put it into his suit pocket, pulling the cigarette out to blow smoke into the cold night air, “Good job, Annie. Shall we see who this is?” He asked, crushing the glass beneath his feet as he stopped in front of the dead gunman.

Annie nodded to him with a blank face, “Go ahead.”

Eren nodded and crouched down next to the corpse, reaching over and grabbing the man’s bandana around his nose and mouth, pulling it off.

Annie gasped, dropping her gun, stumbling backwards and cutting her feet on some glass before catching herself on the overturned car. She breathed heavily, some from the pain of her cuts, and some from the pain of betrayal.

The gunman was Annie’s bodyguard, Reiner. Blood seeped out of the wound in his forehead, collecting itself in a pool below.

Eren’s eyes widened at the sight, his mind running again with more questions. Then his mind set on one thing, _That must mean the other gunman is-_

He looked ahead to see the tall gunman stumbling away, with what looked like an injured leg as he was limping and grunting with every step.

Eren dropped the cigarette and stood up, stamping it out. He pulled the gun out of his pants and aimed it at Bertholdt’s back, “Stop! Put your hands up!”

The tall man stopped, grunting as the pain in his leg shot up through his body. He slowly lifted his hands up, turning around to face the detective, the bandana still around his face.

Eren walked over, his face curled up in a scowl as he pulled the bandana off, showing the man to be Bertholdt, which Eren already knew. He then grabbed his wrists and bound them together behind his back with the bandana, “You will pay for what you fucking did, you sick bastard.”

Bertholdt stayed silent, even as Eren forced him to sit down on the ground by the overturned car, next to his dead buddy.

Eren looked at Annie, “Pick up your gun and keep it trained on him. Shoot him if he tries anything funny.”

Annie didn’t respond, she only stared at the ground with wide eyes, lost in some world. Eren reached over and gently grabbed her shoulder, shaking her, “Annie?”

The woman blinked, blinking a few more times before shaking her head and looking at Eren, her face now blank, “Did you want something?”

Eren sighed and crouched down to pick up her gun, standing back up to hand it to her, “Keep the gun on Bertholdt, I need to make a call.”

Annie looked down at the gun in his hand, gulping before nodding and taking the gun, her fingers wrapping around it. Her head slowly turned to Bertholdt, raising her arms up to aim the gun at him, watching for any sudden movements.

Eren gave a faint smile before turning around, his eyes scanning the environment before they laid upon a nearby gamewell. He made his way towards it, looking over his shoulder to see Annie still holding the gun and pointing it at Bertholdt.

As Eren got to the gamewell, he opened it and pulled out the phone, sighing before putting it up to his ear, “Operator, give me Dispatch.”

“Putting you through now.”

A few seconds later, another voice came up, “Dispatch.”

Eren straightened up and rested his elbow on the gamewell, looking at Annie and Bertholdt. He saw them talking to each other, “Jaeger, Badge Twelve-Forty-Four.”

“How can I help, Detective Jaeger?”

“I need backup at a three-way intersection, uhh…” He said, looking around, “North Gower Street and Melrose Avenue. We have a stiff and a injured triggerman, suspected to be the same shooters that shot up the Warrior. Make sure to send Detective Levi Ackerman too, I need to talk to him. Also, send ambulances and some backup to the Hollywood Palladium, there are dead and wounded there.”

The person on the other end sounded surprised, “Oh...okay, sending backup now.”

Eren nodded, “Thank you.” He said before hanging up and closing the box. He looked back at Annie, to see her not talking again, but with a angier face on.

He walked over, “Alright, Annie. You’re good, backup is on the way. I need to ask Bertholdt some questions.”

Annie glanced at Eren, hesitating, before lowering her gun and nodding, not saying a word.

Eren pointed to the passenger seat of her coupe, “Would you like to sit down?”

Annie looked at him, staying silent before nodding and walking over to the car, grunting from the pain as the glass shards lodged in her feet caught up to her. She sat down and slowly began to pull them out, whimpering and breathing sharply every time she pulled one out.

Eren looked at Bertholdt, staring him in the eyes, “Bertholdt...Bertholdt...look at me…”

The gunman kept his gaze off of the detective, but after a moment, looked him straight in the eye.

Eren nodded, “Alright. First off, why did you shoot up The Warrior?”

Bertholdt didn’t respond, only narrowed his eyes.

“Were you hired?”

Silence.

“Does this have anything to do with the Leonhart family?”

Only more silence. Eren sighed out of frustration, looking back at Annie, who, already done getting glass out of one foot, was now getting glass out of her other foot. He could hear sirens in the distance, getting closer, so he looked at Bertholdt and sighed before walking over to Annie.

He stopped in front of her, taking off his jacket and placing it around Annie’s shoulders. She was slightly surprised by the jacket, looking up to see Eren as he crouched down by her feet gently grabbing the one she was currently picking glass out of, “May I?”

Annie’s eyes darted from her foot to Eren, eventually nodding.

Eren nodded to her, holding her foot up as he grabbed one of the shards with his index finger and thumb. He pulled it out, causing a sharp breath from Annie and a small whimper. Eren felt bad, “Sorry.”

She shook her head, “No, no, don’t be. Just keep on doing it.”

Eren nodded and pulled out another shard, a gasp emitting from Annie.

As Eren pulled another shard out, the sirens got close and stopped, telling him that they have arrived. He looked over his shoulder at them, “The perp is right there!” He shouted, gesturing to Bertholdt, before focusing on Annie’s foot.

He grabbed the last shard, and pulled it out. Annie sighed in relief as Eren smiled at her, “Should I take you to the hospital?”

Annie quickly shook her head, “No...no...no hospitals...just use my dress to wrap them.”

Eren cocked an eyebrow before nodding, grabbing her dress and tearing a length of it off. He took her right foot, “This may hurt a bit.” He said, tying the length of cloth up and over her foot, tying it after effectively wrapping it.

He then pulled off another length, hearing some footsteps coming up behind him, and a familiar voice, “Quite a night.”

Eren nodded as he wrapped Annie’s other foot tightly, tying it before turning to look up at Levi, “Yeah, I would say so. Oh, uh...Annie, this is my partner, Levi Ackerman.”

Levi held out a hand, “Nice to meet you.”

Annie glanced at the hand, before reaching out and taking it, shaking it weakly, “Likewise.” She said, looking to the side.

Levi then looked back to Eren, “So, care to explain what happened?”

Eren stood up, nodding, he looked to Annie, “I will be back in a bit.”

She did not answer, only stared at the ground while pulling the jacket close to her body.

Eren gestured for Levi to follow, walking a bit away before turning to him, “Alright, so we were having a good time at the ball when the gunmen came in, shooting the place up. Annie and I decided to chase them, so I shot out their tires and they crashed. One of the men got out and started to shoot at us. Annie was able to shoot him. We checked the body and found out it was one of her bodyguards, and the one still alive,” He said, pointing to Bertholdt, “Is also a bodyguard of hers.”

Levi cocked an eyebrow, “So what do you think?”

Eren locked eyes with Levi before looking over his shoulder at Annie, “I think she isn’t involved. She was quite shocked to see that her two bodyguards were the ones that shot up her club. I say she is crossed off as being in anyway related to this, except for the fact that it was her nightclub.” He said, looking back to Levi.

Levi glanced at Annie around Eren’s shoulder, before sighing and nodding, “Okay, well...we are going to interrogate the live bodyguard back at the station, see if we can get anything out of him. You wanna come?”

Eren nodded, “But can I first get Annie home? She doesn’t seem like she is in the state to drive.”

Levi hesitated before nodding, “Okay, okay, you go do that.”

Eren smiled, “Thanks.”

The two partners turned around and left each other, with Eren returning back to his date. He crouched down in front of her, “Hey, Annie, your car is going to get fixed up, so would you mind if I were to drive you home?”

Annie slowly turned her head up, her blue eyes staring into Eren’s green ones, before nodding, “Yeah. Go ahead.” She said in a low tone, “Can you carry me? I don’t think it’s good to walk on these feet just yet.”

Eren nodded and wrapped an arm around Annie’s shoulders, then under her knees, picking her up and holding her bridal style. He started in the direction of the Palladium.

****  
  


Eren waited for the light to turn green, his hands on the wheel at two and ten. He glanced at Annie a few times, who was using his jacket as a blanket, staring down at her feet.

The light turned green, and Eren continued down the road. He hated the silence growing between them, so he decided to speak up, “Sorry about the shot up car.”

A moment of silence grew before being broken by Annie in a depressed tone, “It’s alright...I can pay for it.”

Eren cocked an eyebrow, “You okay?”

“No...I trusted them, Eren. I trusted them with my life. And they betrayed me. They shot my friend, my club, at us...why the fuck would they do that? You know, when I was keeping my gun on Bertholdt...I thought about it. I thought about...about shooting him. For what he did to Mina. But I didn’t...I kept my cool...because I knew it wouldn’t help if he was dead.”

Eren smiled at her, driving up the road, getting close to her house, “I am proud of you for that. Most people would let emotions get to them, but...you didn’t. That’s good.”

Annie nodded, staying silent and her face staying blank, even as Eren pulled up to her house, putting the car in park.

Eren pulled the key out and opened his door, stepping onto the pavement. He walked around and opened Annie’s door, reaching in to pick her up. He kicked the car door close before walking up to her front door.

He looked down at Annie, “Uh...do you have a key?”

Annie shook her head, “It’s unlocked...I expected Reiner and Bertholdt to be staying here, guarding it like usual…”

Eren nodded before opening the door, carrying her into the house and closing the door behind them.

“Anywhere you want me to put you?”

“On my bed, please…”

Eren made his way to her bedroom. As he walked up to her bed, he gently laid her down across the bed, her small form curling up into a ball, pulling the jacket tight around herself as she stared at the wall, “Thank you…”

Eren nodded, walking to the doorway of her bedroom. He stopped, and looked back at her, “I am sorry for what happened tonight.”

Annie shook her head, “Don’t be. It’s _their_ fault, not yours. It will take me a day or two to get over this.”

“Alright, well...goodnight. If you need me, just call me. So...goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Eren nodded and turned around, walking back towards the door as he began to think about Bertholdt back at the police station. His expression darkened as he exited Annie’s house.

****  
  


Eren pulled his key out of the ignition, looking to the left to see the police station. He sighed and pulled off his bowtie, throwing it aside, still in his black vest, white button up shirt, and black slacks and leather dress shoes. He looked at himself in the rearview mirror before opening the door, stepping out and shutting it close.

He walked up to the front doors, opening them and nodding to the man at the front desk, “Is the shooter being interviewed?”

The man nodded, “Interview room one.”

Eren nodded, “Thanks.” He said, walking around the corner and down the hall until he reached Interview Room One. He stopped in front of the one way mirror, seeing Levi in the room with Bertholdt, remaining relatively calm. He listened to them.

“You seem to be the quiet type. I don’t mind. It only allows me to use desperate measures to get the info out of you. So please, to not let that happen, tell me. Were you hired?”

The taller man stayed silent, looking down at his interlocked fingers.

Levi narrowed his eyes before shrugging, turning around, and heading towards the door, “Fine, it’s your prerogative.”

Eren kept his eyes on Bertholdt as Levi walked up next to him.

“Would you like to take a crack at him?”

Eren glanced sideways at Levi, “I already did.”

“Well...think you could try again?”

The younger detective looked back at Bertholdt, sighing as he thought about it. Not long after, he sighed again and nodded, “Alright. I’ll go in.” He said, walking around to the interview room door.

“Good luck.” Levi said.

Eren put his hand on the doorknob, nodding to Levi before opening the door and walking in.

The taller man kept his eyes trained on the metal table, even as the homicide detective walked up and pulled out a chair, sitting across from the criminal, “It’s me again.”

Bertholdt was silent.

“Why did you shoot up the Warrior nightclub?”

Silence.

“Were you hired? Who hired you?”

Silence. Eren frowned.

“Why would you do such a thing? Kill an innocent woman and a cop? Then shoot up a ball? The fuck is wrong with you?”

Silence. The corners of Eren’s lips turned down as he gritted his teeth as he pushed himself up from his chair, looking down upon the gunman.

“Why the fuck would you hurt Annie like that?”

Bertholdt turned his head up to look at Eren. He frowned, shook his head, and looked back down.

Eren growled, “You fuck! Tell me!” He shouted, pounding his fist on the table.

He kept silent.

Eren inhaled, then exhaled, slowly walking around to Bertholdt’s chair. He placed his hands on the top of the backrest.

Everything was silent for a moment, Eren staring at the back of Bertholdt’s head, before finally saying,

“Fuck you...fuck you!” He shouted, pulled the chair off to the side, throwing Bertholdt out of it and onto the floor.

Eren dropped the chair, walking over to the fallen criminal and raising his foot before bringing it down on the man’s injured ankle, a loud _crack_ echoing throughout the room.

Bertholdt shouted in pain, holding his ankle. Eren towered over him, a face of pure hatred masked on him, “Oh, the pig is squealing now, huh? Huh!?” He shouted, kicking Bertholdt in the side.

Suddenly he felt someone grab his arms and pull him back. Eren tried to fight back, “Let go!”

He was then sent flying to the wall opposite to the interview room door, which Levi closed. Eren hit the wall with a grunt, then quickly slid down until he was sitting down. He quickly tried to get back up, but Levi pushed him back down, “Stay down, kid!”

Eren looked up at his partner, scowling at him as Levi looked back, not scowling, but had the same amount of anger in his eyes, “Stand down, Eren.”

Eren frowned before taking a deep breath. He took another, and another, until finally he calmed down a bit.

Levi crouched down in front of him, “You know you don’t do shit like that, Eren. Get your shit together. Is...is this about Annette?”

Eren glanced at him, quickly shaking his head.

Levi narrowed his eyes, sensing that the young detective was lying, “It’s completely understandable if it is about her. If someone hurt Hange, I would’ve acted the same way. Hell, I might’ve killed them.”

Eren glanced back down, saying nothing.

Levi sighed and stood back up, “Fine, see you tomorrow, kid.” He said, walking away from the interview room, leaving the young detective to himself.

****  
  


“Alright, well...goodnight. If you need me, just call me. So...goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Annie muttered, loud enough for Eren to hear so that he could turn around and head out.

She listened to his footsteps, getting farther and farther away until she heard the front door open and close.

She waited a few more moments in silence. She used to always tell Reiner and Bertholdt goodnight before heading to bed, and now, she only had one person to say it to. Eren. And without him or Reiner or Bertholdt, she felt defenseless. Sure, she knew how to fight, but she just liked the feeling of having someone around.

_First Mina, then Reiner, and now Bertholdt._

Annie forced her eyes closed, breathing heavily as she felt the tears coming. She gripped the jacket hard, her body beginning to shake as the uncontrollable feeling she keeps on trying to push down came exploding upwards.

Eventually, she opened her eyes, allowing the tears to fall down her face as she began to sob to herself alone. All alone. _Alone to myself..._

__

_...With no one to comfort me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Aww, sad. I know this may seem OOC for Annie but it will be explained later. I actually had a lot of fun writing the beginning, and the more violent stuff. I am glad I finally got to the more intense shit. Anyway, if there are any problems, please comment in a respectful way. I hope you all enjoyed! Thank you for reading!


	8. Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day, Eren already receives a call from the sweetheart of California.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Probably a chapter you have all been waiting for...unless you were in it for the action...well hope you enjoy anyway!

**Chapter 8: Comfort**

_Battle of Leyte. October 17th 1944 to December 31st 1944. Philippines. Before the assault, I got a letter telling me the news._

_My father passed away._

_I couldn’t believe it. My father, Grisha Jaeger, dead. I was twenty-two at the time. Mikasa told me of the funeral, and how it’s good I wasn’t there. But I should’ve been there._

_What did I do? I sucked it up, pushed it down, and got back into the fight._

_We were under the command of XXIV Corps of the Sixth United States Army._

_October 20th, we made our assault landing on Dulag, a third class municipality in the province of Leyte. We encountered light resistance, but secured the town._

_We then moved inland against the Japanese airfields of San Pablo 1 and 2,  Bayug, and Buri, thanks to the 767th Tank Battalion clearing the way for us._

_On the 7th of November, we were in Baybay. It was here that I made friends with a soldier named Connie Springer. Interesting guy. Slightly annoying, but whatever._

_In the Battle of Shoestring Ridge, we took over Burauen with the 32nd Infantry Regiment, and the 11th Airborne Division in November 22nd, then we moved west. We found out later that the 32nd Regiment was attacked the next night._

_In the Battle of the Ridges, 5th of December, we pushed north with two regiments, encountering heavy enemy fire coming from Hill 918. We were able to capture Hill 918, 380, and 606 by the 8th of December. With the help of the 77th Division, we were able to resume our march forward, squeezing the enemy defenders between two forces._

_On the 23rd of December, after battling many of those fucking Japs on the ridges and in the caves, we linked up with the 187th Glider Infantry Regiment. We completed our cross-island move, and destroyed the Japanese 26th Infantry Division._

_Another success for us, and another one coming up. I am making my father proud. But...I wonder what he will think of me...after Okinawa...after all the death, destruction, and blood on my hands._

Eren shot out of bed, lifting his hands up to his eye level.  _No blood? No blood? Thank god…_ He thought to himself, still wiping the clean hands on his chest. He laid back in his bed, staring up at the ceiling, his eyes scanning any irregularities on the smooth surface.

_These dreams are really getting to me,_ he thought to himself, wiping sweat off of his brow.  _I should get some help._

He shook his head, “No, no help, I am fine. I am not weak, I am not...not weak.” He said, taking one last deep breath before swinging his legs over the edge and standing up. 

As he got dressed, he began to think of future events.  _Marco’s funeral is coming up in a few days...and I guess so is Mina’s. Annie would want me to be there. Maybe there can be a joint funeral or something?_

He also got an offer to help clean out Marco’s apartment, but he declined, thinking he would interfere with it. 

His mind then went through what had happened last night.  _So Bertholdt and Reiner shot up Annie’s club? Why? For what? Were they hired? Does Leonhart have something to do with this? And how is fucking Historia fucking Reiss mixed up in all of this?_

He shook his head as he tied his shoes, reaching to a nearby drawer to pick up his shoulder holster, putting it on before pulling his gun out of the holster. He checked it, looking at each side, then pulled back the slide, seeing the brass shine in the artificial light of his room, then snapped it shut, holstering it. 

As he descended the stairs, he thought of how Annie was acting last night.  _Poor girl. With all of this death and betrayal around her, I would’ve been crying from being overwhelmed with emotions. But she held it together._

Eren grabbed his hat, placing it on his head, then slipped on his jacket. He took one last look at the interior of his house, making sure he got everything, before heading out the door. 

The young detective got into his car, sighing as he put the key in the ignition and turned it. 

****  
  


The doors to the police station opened wide as the brunette homicide detective entered, hearing a  _bang_ and a  _crash_ coming from the interview room. He walked up to the front desk, “Is Jean interrogating the suspect?”

The man nodded, chuckling to himself, “Yeah, he is beating the poor bastard down.”

Eren wrinkled his nose and sighed before nodding and walking around the corner, the ruckus getting louder as he got closer. He approached the one way mirror, joining a whole group of other officers as they watched the vice detective slam Bertholdt’s face into the metal table, screaming and shouting.

“Is he drunk?” Eren asked.

One of the officers shook his head, “Nope, fully sober.”

“You aren’t going to stop this one again, are you Jaeger?”

Eren sighed as he walked to the door, “Sorry gentlemen, I have to.” He said, opening the door, hearing a collective groan from the officers as Eren watched the scene before him.

Jean kicked the table out of the way and grabbed Bertholdt by the collar, throwing him aside, “You bastard...why’d you kill him? Why’d you kill her? Hmm? You wanna tell me that you good-for-nothing piece of shit!” He shouted, kicking Bertholdt in the stomach.

Eren intervened by stepping in and hooking his arms under Jean’s, pulling him back, “Can an officer come in and get the suspect back in his cell?” He asked, pulling the struggling Jean back as an officer walked past them, cuffing Bertholdt and leading him out of the room.

As soon as Eren got Jean fully out of the interview room, he twisted and threw him up against the cold wall, breathing heavily from the overexertion. 

Jean scowled at the homicide detective, “What the  _fuck_ was that for?!”

Eren shook his head, “You can’t just go ordering for an interrogation to beat up the suspect! We have order in here! We are the law, Jean!  _The law!_ ”

Jean got up close to Eren, “Oh really? Then what the fuck were you doing last night with the suspect!? You did the  _exact_ same thing as I did!”

“No I didn’t! I had a present reason!”

“And I didn’t?!”

“No! Because your reason is dead right now!”

“You fucking-”

As they were about to tear at each other’s throats, a short man got in between them, pushing them apart, “Hey! Hey!  _Hey!_ ” He shouted, struggling against the two younger detectives trying to get to the other, “Stop it, you two!”

The two detectives eventually stopped, glaring at each other as Levi let go of them, “We calm? Are we fucking calm? Huh? You two can  _not_ be fighting at a time like this. ‘Cause if you do...you will fuck everything up, and make it  _much_ harder to get this case solved. I need both of you to make up and get your heads back into the game. No more fighting among us. Agreed?”

Eren glanced at Levi before looking back at Jean, who narrowed his eyes. Eren frowned, crossing him arms.

Levi sighed, “Eren...Jean...you two are family. Family shouldn’t be fighting. What would Mikasa think if she found out the two most important men in her life hate each other?”

Eren glanced down in thought, his lips a straight line. Jean turned his head up, sighing as he looked back down. 

Jean held his hand out, “He’s right...I overreacted...we shouldn’t be yelling at each other.”

Eren glanced as his brother-in-law’s hand and reached out to grab it, shaking it, “Yeah...yeah...let’s get back to the job at hand.”

Jean nodded, “Agreed.”

Levi sighed in relief, “Good, now let’s get downstairs, we have some things to discuss.”

Jean and Eren followed the shorter detective, descending the steps until they reached the bottom, where their little base of operations was set up. Levi even now had a phone put down here. 

Levi sat down at the table, checking to make sure his hair was still okay as he looked to the other two, “So, we now have the suspect. The only problem is that he is being silent, no matter what we do. Eren...what do you got?”

Eren stepped forward, pulling his hat off and placing it on the table, “Well...I know Annie is not involved, her reactions were too genuine. Oh...right...one thing...about the dress…”

Levi cocked an eyebrow, looking down at the files,“Found it?”

Eren nodded, “Yeah...being worn by the daughter of our mayor. Historia...fucking...Reiss…”

Levi’s eyebrows raised, he turned his head down to look at his partner, “Excuse me?”

Eren nodded, looking at Jean, who had a bewildered face, “Yeah, I was surprised too.”

Levi blinked a few times before nodding, “So that means...that the pictures Marco had have something to do with Historia Reiss. But...why would it get Marco killed?”

Jean stepped in, “Well they...must be scandalous, like maybe she is doing something illegal?”

Levi glanced at the vice detective, nodding, “That’s what I was thinking. We should probably look more into-”

The sound of footsteps descending the stairs caused Levi to glance at his two companions, raising a finger to his lips as to say not to talk about the Reiss situation.

Erwin Smith hit the floor of the basement, looking at his two detectives and the one vice detective, smiling, “Good work, gentlemen, with bringing in the shooter! Any updates on the case? Any info he may have given?”

Levi sighed and shook his head, “Sadly, sir, no. He is remaining stoic. Like he is trying to protect someone. We are still trying, though.”

Erwin nodded, looking downward, “Well...that is quite unfortunate. But, anyway, good job in capturing the suspect, Eren. I am sure Marco would be proud.”

Eren smiled faintly, nodding to him, “Thank you, sir.”

Erwin snapped his head up, “I should get back to work. Keep up the good work, fellas, and we can solve this case in no time!” 

And with that, the head of the homicide division turned around and went back upstairs with the rest of the world, leaving the three detectives alone. 

Levi waited a moment, pulling his cigarette case out. He opened it and took out a cigarette, putting it between his lips. He pulled out his lighter and held it up to his cigarette, lighting it. He flicking the lighter shut and put it back.

He pulled the cigarette out, “We have to keep any talk of the mayor and his daughter between us. If anyone were to hear of this, the case will be closed. And no doubt that Reiss will be informed. Until we find substantial enough evidence, we are not going to speak about this in public, only in private. Am I understood?”

Eren and Jean nodded.

Levi nodded back, “Good. Now, we should get back to work.”

Jean nodded, “Alright, I will go back up.” He said before turning around and ascending the steps.

When he was gone, Eren sighed. Levi cocked an eyebrow, “So, Eren, how was the ball? Before the shooting, I mean?”

Eren’s eyes snapped to Levi before glancing down in thought, “Well...it was fun. Annie and I danced and talked. We had fun. Though the shooting definitely ruined that.”

Levi smirked, “I bet.”

Eren nodded, “But...the whole situation left Annie...sad...I guess…”

Levi nodded back, “I understand. Well, let’s hope that we can finish this case soon. For Annie and Jean.”

Footsteps alerted them again. They looked to the stairs to see an officer halfway down them, looking at the two detectives, “Uh...Detective Jaeger?”

Eren glanced at Levi before turning his head to look at the officer, “Yes?”

The officer jerked a thumb upstairs, “A call is waiting for you at your desk. It’s Miss Leonhart.”

Eren nodded, “Thank you, officer, I will be up in a minute.”

The officer nodded and headed back up the stairs. Eren turned to look at Levi, “May I?”

Levi smirked again and nodded, “Yeah, sure. Go get your girl.”

Eren rolled his eyes and smiled as he picked up his hat and made his way upstairs. 

The detective room door opened, the young brunette homicide detective walking in. Jean turned to look at him and smirked, “Your lady is waiting.”

Eren muttered a quick, “Shutup.” Before walking to his desk and picking up the phone, pulling it up to his ear, “Annie?”

He could hear her breathing nervously on the other side. She made a surprised noise when he spoke, “Uh...oh...uhm, hi, Eren.”

Eren cocked an eyebrow, “Uhm...hey.” He said in a curious tone.

She cleared her throat, “So, uhm...how...how are you doing?”

Eren sat down in his chair, shrugging, “I am good...doing good...what about you?”

Annie inhaled, “Oh, me? Uh...good...I am good.”

A silence grew between the two, expanding until Eren decided to push further.

“What’s wrong? Is something wrong?”

She made a struggling sound, like she was holding something back. Then the dam broke.

“It’s just...after last night...I feel lonely here, in my house...and I need someone to talk to. So...can you please come up and just...talk with me for a while? An hour at most? It would help me a bunch.”

Eren sighed as he looked at Jean, who was working, “Uh...yeah...sure, I will come up. I will be there in a bit. See you.”

“See ya.” 

And with that, Eren hung up, standing up. Jean turned to the homicide detective as he began to walk out the door, “Booty call, Eren?” He asked, smiling.

The last thing he saw of Eren was the alignment of fingers on his left hand so that the one in the middle was the only one standing up. Jean gave a short laugh to himself before getting back to work.

****  
  


The household of Annette Leonhart was empty, silent. As if no life has ever appeared or existed here. All lights were off, but almost every room was illuminated by the sunlight pouring through the full length windows, shining upon the only life form there. 

Due to her height, it would be easy to not notice her at first, which she uses to her advantage when she needs to. She was laying on her sofa, her light blonde hair splayed everywhere, her eyes scanning her ceiling. She still wore the white torn ball gown from last night. She had her right forearm placed on her forehead, while her left arm hung down, her cut fingernails almost scraping against the floor.

Her mind was racing,  _Mina’s dead. Reiner’s dead. And Bertholdt is still alive, but in custody. If all this bullshit a few days ago had not happened, I would’ve been here, drinking tea or wine or some shit with Mina. She would ask me if I have found a guy I actually like, and tease me. It was annoying, but...I liked it...and now she is gone...because of those two…_

Annie sighed, “I can’t bring myself to say it…”

The small woman inhaled, then exhaled, trying to keep herself cool. 

She was about to do it again, when a knock sounded from the door. She lifted her head to look at the door from the living room, her wide blue eyes hoping it was him.

She swung her legs over the edge, standing up so that she could walk over to the door, her small feet padding against the marble floor as she stepped up to the front door. 

She wrapped her small fingers around the knob, her other hand reaching over turn the switch to unlock the door. The young lady took a deep breath before nodding and opening the door. 

Eren was there, standing in the fresh California sunlight, in front of her, giving a faint smile.

The smile made Annie herself smirk, “Uh...hey, Eren.”

Eren nodded to her, “Hey, Annie, uh…”

Annie stepped out of the way, “Come in…I was just...laying around…”

The detective nodded, walking past her into her abode. It was silent, and clean, and empty, except for the two there. All alone. In this big house. 

She locked the door, turning around to gently grab the detective’s hands, her thumbs in his palms, and led him to the sofa. She let go of his hands and sat down looking down at the floor.

Eren sat down next to her, looking at her with concern. He had to think of something to say.

He noticed the dress, “You haven’t changed…clothes, I mean...you haven’t changed clothes since...last night…”

Annie looked up at him with innocent curiosity, “I haven’t?” She turned her head downward to look at herself, seeing she was in the same dress, “Huh...I...guess not…”

Eren raised his eyebrows, “Annie...are you okay?”

She looked up again, her wide blue eyes giving everything away. She nodded, but then glanced off to the side, shaking her head, “I...I don’t know. It’s just…everything is so fucking sudden…”

“I know what you mean, a lot of things have been happening. But you must be feeling the worst of it.”

The celebrity looked back down, nodding, “I just...I feel like I could’ve stopped a lot of it from happening. I...I could’ve stopped Mina…” She sniffed, breathing heavily, “I could’ve stopped…” She covered her mouth with her hand, closing her eyes as she began to shake.

Eren, feeling like he needed to do something, reached over to wrap an arm around her shoulders, trying to comfort her, “Hey, I am here for you.”

Annie, instead of flipping him, leaned into his embrace, resting her head on his chest. She quietly began to sob into it, wrapping her arms around him as to keep him there, “Don’t leave...please…”

Eren nodded, holding the small lady firmly, “Of course, Annie. Of course.”

****  
  


**_An Hour Later_ **

****  
  


Eventually, the sobbing stopped, but Annie kept herself holding on to the taller detective. She didn’t want to let him go. Because then, she would be alone.  _And I don’t want to be alone._ _Not yet._ She thought to herself, listening to the sound of Eren’s heartbeat.

But Eren had to go soon. So he sighed and tried to get up, but her hold got tighter, “Please, Eren...not yet…”

He relaxed, “But Ann...I gotta go. Levi might need me.”

Annie glanced off to the side, thinking. 

She then sighed and let go of him, pulling back so that he could get up, “Alright...but tell no one of this. I am trying to keep up this strong girl appearance, and-”

Right then, Eren reached over and grabbed her shoulders, “Hey...don’t worry about it. Besides...you are a strong girl.”

Annie grabbed one of his wrists gently, looking down as her face turned red, a smile appearing on her lips as he hair draped down in front of her face, “Oh...don’t say that…”

The detective shook his head, “No...you are. I have not see a girl stronger than you...other than my sister, maybe.”

Annie turned her head up to look up into the man’s eyes, her sapphires locked in a battle with his emeralds. They were both losing as their faces inched closer towards each other.

Eren tilted his head a bit, and, before it happened, he reached up to cup her cheeks, pulling her into a kiss that sent shivers down both of their spines. Annie’s hands pushed Eren down onto the sofa, laying them both out as they continued to lock lips in passion. 

Annie then pulled back, breathing heavily as she got off of Eren, who sat up, re-adjusting his hat as he stood up from the couch, his eyes wide with surprise as he looked back at Annie, “Uh...I should get going.”

Annie nodded, her eyes wide as well, “Uh, yeah, of course, yeah, right.” She said, standing up. She dusted her dress off as she walked over to the door, unlocking it and opening it for him.

Walking out, Eren turned around to look at Annie, who gave a faint smile, “Thanks, Eren, for being here...and for that…”

Eren smiled and nodded, “Do you feel better?”

Annie bit her lip, glancing down, “Uhm…” 

She glanced back up, “Yeah...yeah...I do...thank you…”

Eren tipped his hat, “It was my pleasure. Anyway, I should get going. See you later, Annie.”

She nodded, “See ya.” Before closing the door.

Eren turned around and walked back to his car, stumbling a bit as he was distracted by the many different thoughts running through his mind. 

Getting into his car, he looked in the rearview mirror and smiled, “I think...that was my first kiss…”

Annie leaned her back against the door, looking up as she exhaled, a sigh of pent up emotions just coming out.  _I can’t believe that just happened. I just had my first real kiss...well...first kiss for a man that…_

“...That I am actually attracted to…”

****  
  


_**Meanwhile** _

Levi looked down at the reports he had to turn in, sighing as the paperwork just seemed to be piling up the further this case goes. 

He looked over at Jean, “Hey, Kirschtein…”

Jean was looking out the window, “What do you wa-” He began to ask, spinning around. He saw the papers and spun back, “Nope.”

“Jean…”

“I am not helping you with those reports.”

“Why not?”

Jean held up a fist, a finger pointing up each time he listed something, “First, I am not homicide. Second, it’s your job. And third, I really just don’t fucking want to.”

“You piece of sh-”

Levi was interrupted by the sound of Eren’s phone ringing on his desk. The older detective spun his chair to look at the phone, cocking an eyebrow as he glanced at Jean, who shrugged, “Pick it up, I guess.”

Levi sighed and stood up, walking around Eren’s desk to the rotary phone. He glanced at Jean one last time before picking up the phone, lifting it up to his ear, “Hello?”

The voice was familiar, “Uh...Eren?”

“No, this is Detective Levi, who is this?”

“Oh, uh...it’s me, Armin.”

“The coroner?”

“Yeah.”

“Why are you calling?”

“Uhm…” He heard a moment of silence before his voice came back, “It’s something about the girl, Mina.”

Levi cocked an eyebrow, which made Jean sit up in his seat, “What?”

“It’s something that I didn’t really expect, so I didn’t look for it, and I only just found out recently, and it might not pertain to the case, but it’s something that I think should be-”

“For Christ’s sake, Armin, just tell me.”

The silence returned as it seemed Armin was looking for the right words to say. 

“Mina...was two months pregnant...and the father was Marco…”

Levi’s eyes widened as he processed the information. Jean cocked an eyebrow, “You okay?”

Levi snapped out of his trance, glancing at Jean before hanging up the phone, “That son of a bitch.” He growled before leaving the room.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Really, just a fluff chapter, but important to the relationship and to the story. I hope you enjoyed, please leave a respectable comment (I am not talking to anyone in particular) if something was wrong or if you liked something. Thank you for reading!


	9. Father

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:Sorry for being gone for so long. Wanted to take a break. Hope you guys enjoy!

 

 

**Chapter 9: Father**

The doors to the police station opened wide at the young detective passed the threshold, entering the artificially lit room. His eyes were staring at the ground, still able to taste the lips of the woman he kissed not too long ago. The only way he could be woken from this trance is the sound of crashing and shouting coming, yet again, from the interview room. 

Eren jogged down to the interview room, seeing Jean and a bunch of police officers looking through the one way mirror. Eren slowed to a walk, stopping next to them and looking inside, his eyes widening at what he saw.

A beaten and bruised Bertholdt sat at the chair, glaring daggers at the short man sauntering around him. It was Levi.

Eren turned to his brother-in-law, “Hey, Jean, what the hell is going on?”

Jean shrugged before looking at Eren, “Levi got a call from Armin, and then all of the sudden he shouted ‘That son of a bitch’ and ran out of the room. I followed him. He ordered an interview with the gunman, and just started slugging the shit out of him, no questions.”

Eren cocked an eyebrow, looking back at the steaming man, somehow towering over the tall gunman. He has never seen Levi like this. Usually he keeps his cool, but now is different. 

“Jean, help me get him out.”

The taller detective nodded, “Alright, sorry boys, the show is over.”

Another collective groan from the audience of cops.

The two detectives walked to the door, with Eren opening it for Jean, who nodded and walked inside. Eren followed, seeing Levi looking at Jean, then at Eren. He narrowed his eyes at the two younger detectives, “Leave me.”

Eren shook his head, “Come on, Levi, you’ve done enough.”

“No I haven’t! This...this  _bastard_ . He deserves so much more.”

Eren looked at Jean, who looked back. They nodded, each grabbed an arm of the older detective, restraining him and pulling him out.

“Let go!  _I’m gonna kill that son of a bitch!”_ The old detective shouted, struggling as he was pulled out the door. 

“Jean, keep him pinned to the wall!” Eren ordered, his brother-in-law nodded and holding Levi back.

Eren pointed to one of the officers, “You! Get the suspect back into his cell! Now!”

The officer nodded and ran inside, grabbing the gunman to lead him out of the room. As he passed Levi, the detective tried harder to push Jean away, _“_ _Bastard!”_

As soon as the suspect was out of sight, Jean let go of Levi, who pushed him away, “Let go of me!” 

Eren turned his head from looking the way the suspect went to his partner, “What was  _that_ all about?”

Levi’s grey eyes darted between Eren and Jean, his breathing slowing down as he calmed. He took one last deep breath before he spoke, “Mina...the girl that was shot up at The Warrior...she...she was pregnant...and it was Marco’s.”

Eren’s eyes widened at the sound of this, but he could feel the sorrow emanating from Jean. He covered his eyes with his fists before breathing heavily and walking away, “I just need to sit down.” He said before disappearing behind the corner. 

Eren looked back to Levi, who was staring back at him. The younger one sighed and leaned against a nearby wall, taking his hat off and holding it against his chest, “That is...rather unfortunate news…” He muttered, his eyes glancing back in the direction of Jean’s departure. 

Levi frowned, “Is that all you can say?”

Eren sighed, “Listen, ever since last night, I am trying to keep my emotions down. I don’t want them to just pop out and hurt someone. I know this case is an emotional one, but like you said, if we keep it up we will screw this whole thing over for ourselves.”

Levi’s cold grey eyes darted around the room, as if he was looking for an answer in the walls, or the lights, or the doors. He exhaled, “You’re right. It’s just…”

Eren held up his hand, “No, I understand.”

Levi gave a slight smile, “Thanks, kid.” 

“Now...we really need to get some info out of our suspect.”

Levi nodded, “Yeah, but how will we get it out of him? We have all tried what we could.”

Eren turned his head up, thinking, “I...I...I might have an idea.”

The detective turned around and walked down the hall, looking to the right to see Jean sitting on a bench near the front desk, his head in his hands. Eren wanted to do something, but knew nothing would work now, so he got back to the task at hand, ascending the wooden steps up to the second floor, he entered the detective room. 

Approaching his desk, he picked up the phone, dialing the phone number of the girl who might be able to break through Bertholdt Hoover.

Her southern accent could be heard on the other side, sounding normal, not sad, not happy, “Hello?”   
Eren gave a slight smile to no one, “Hey...Annie, it’s me, Eren.”

“Oh, hey Eren.” Her tone changed to a more happy one.

“I wanted to know if...if I could pick you up and bring you here, to the police station?”

“Uhm...I mean, I would be glad to, but...why?”

Eren glanced out the window, at the life being lived beyond by the many civilians of Los Angeles. He sighed, “I need you to interview Bertholdt. I think he would respond well to you.”

The other side was silent for a minute. Eren cocked an eyebrow, “Annie?”

“Yeah, yeah I am here. It’s just...I don’t know, Eren...I don’t know…”

“Please, Annie? This is really important. We are grasping at straws here.”

He could just hear her bite her lip on the other side. She made a noise of reluctance before sighing, “Okay...okay...come pick me up. I will...change my clothes.”

Eren smiled slightly, “Thank you, Annie, thank you. I will be there soon.”

“Alright, see ya.” And she hung up.

The young detective put the phone back on the receiver, nodding to no one in particular before making his way downstairs and rounding the corner to exit the police station, waving to Levi and Jean before heading out. 

He got into his car and started it up, thinking about the possibilities that could happen if he were to bring Annie to the police station.  _I guess we'll just have to find out_ _,_ he thought to himself before driving out of the parking lot. 

The small blonde woman stood outside of her estate, blowing smoke into the air, a cigarette between her index finger and middle finger. She adjusted her feet, her flats clapping against the floor. Her eyes behind her shades looked at the road outside of her opened gates, waiting for them to spot her ‘knight in shining armor’.

His steed being his Oldsmobile. 

She made her way over as it parked nearby, waiting for her entry. The celebrity smirked before strolling over, replacing the index finger holding her cigarette with her thumb, using the index to tap on the rolled up tobacco, the ash falling to the ground slowly. 

Eren smiled, watching her walk over. He reached over to open the passenger side door, pushing it out a bit for her to catch and open the rest of the way, “Thank you, Eren.” She said, putting the cigarette between her lips so that she could take her glasses off and close the door. Her bright blue eyes glanced at him as she did this. 

She set the glasses down in front of her before pulling the cigarette out. She spoke as Eren began to drive, “So...what has caused you to become this desperate?” 

Eren briefly glanced at her, “We have tried everything we could to get information out of Bertholdt. We tried the calm way, we even beat him up on three different occasions. Nothing.”

Annie’s eyes widened slightly, “Is he okay?”

Eren chuckled, “Don’t tell me you feel bad for him?”

Annie looked ahead, her eyes cast down, sighing, “No...I don’t feel...bad for him. What he did was...horrible...I just don’t think violence was the answer.”

Eren shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road, “I know. Most of that was just emotions. Anyway, you will just be asking him questions. The one we need is who hired him. Don’t get angry, don’t get violent, and don’t try to force anything. Understand?”

Annie nodded, “Yeah...yeah, I got it.”

Eren smiled faintly, “Thank you, Annie.”

The door to the police station opened, the eyes of every officer widening at the sight of the famous Annette Leonhardt walking through, her eyes glancing around as Eren walked up behind her. 

“They are all staring at me.”

Eren nodded, twisting his mouth up into a corner, “Yup. They don’t usually see a celebrity come into the police station. More like the other way around. Plus...you’re California’s Sweetheart, who wouldn’t stop to look at you?”

Annie blushed, hiding it with her hand before walking along, “Let’s go.”

Eren smirked, following the girl to the interview room, where she took her hand off of her face to look through the one way mirror at the tall beat up man, sitting at the table, staring ahead, his face just a wall of stone. 

Annie kept her eyes on the man, her gaze almost intense, “How long has he been in there?” She asked solemnly. 

Levi shrugged, “We just put him back in, so I’d say...five minutes.”

Annie nodded, humming to herself for a minute, a pleasant melody to the ears of any who listened. Eren found his hearing to pick up the sound, closing his eyes to focus on it.

“Eren?”

His eyes snapped open, turning his head to look at Annie standing next to him, cocking an eyebrow at him, “You okay?”

Eren smiled, nodding, “Yeah, don’t worry. So...you ready to go in?”

Annie looked back at the man sitting in the interrogation room. She took a deep breath, “Got a smoke?”

Eren reached into his jacket pocket to pull out his cigarette case. Opening it, he reached in and took a cigarette out, handing it to Annie. She nodded and put it in between her lips, waiting as Eren placed his case back in his jacket to take out his lighter. He flicked it open and lit her cigarette, “Ready now?”

She sucked in, pulled the cigarette out, and blew the smoke to the side. Slowly, she nodded, “Yeah...yeah...I...let’s do this.”

Bertholdt looked down at his fists, clenching them tight as he waited for someone to come in. He ached all over from the hits he received earlier. Sighing, his eyes darting from his fists to the door. He shook his head, cursing himself for what he has done.  _Will God still accept me with open arms?_   He asked himself. 

Suddenly, the door opened, and Bertholdt’s eyes snapped up to see the last person he expected to see standing in the doorway. 

The blonde stood there, a short silhouette. She stepped into the room, the light hanging from above the table illuminating her famous face. Her blue eyes stared at him, analyzing him, getting as much information out of him before entering the room and closing the door behind herself. A cigarette hung from between her two fingers.

Annie kept silent before walking over and pulling her chair out, the legs scraping against the floor. She slowly sat down in front of him. He looked back at her, frightened of what she thought of him. Of what he did. She probably hated him. 

She did hate him. But she did not show it. She was a good actress. 

A sigh escaped her lips as she rested her head on her hand. The hand with the cigarette. The smoke slowly rose up before dissipating in the air, gone forever. Bertholdt wished he was as free as the smoke, but instead, he is here.

Annie placed the cigarette between her lips, sighing again. She pulled it out and blew smoke. She nodded to herself slightly, “Why would you shoot up my club, Bert? What incentive did you have to do such a thing? And why Mina? You knew how much she meant to me, you knew. So why did you do it?”

Bertholdt did not even look at her, his eyes turning downward instead. Annie narrowed her eyes, huffing before continuing.

“Why me? Why did you try to kill me? And Eren? Why did you kill all those people?”

Bertholdt’s head snapped up, “I wasn’t gunning for you. Reiner was.”

Annie’s eyes widened, putting out her cigarette and pushing herself up so that she was standing, her hands supporting her on the table. She was still small, so she was eye level with Bertholdt now, “That doesn’t matter. The fact is that you killed people. Why would you do that? Who told you to do it? Who hired you?”

Bertholdt stared at her before shaking his head, looking down again, “It doesn’t matter.”

Annie frowned, “It  _doesn_ - ” She stopped herself, taking a deep breath, before continuing, “It doesn’t matter? It matters to me. My friend is  _dead_ , because of  _you_ _._ So you are going to tell me who hired you, because you owe me at least that much!”

The tall man kept his eyes down, and mumbled something she couldn’t hear.

The celebrity leaned down, “Excuse me?”

Bertholdt picked his head up, eyes staring at her, he spoke louder, “You’re father.”

Annie pulled back, her face twisted in surprise, “My... _my_ ...father?”

Bertholdt nodded, “He hired Reiner and I to keep an eye on you, and to follow his orders whenever he gave them. That includes the shootings.”

Outside of the room, the three detectives stared at the man, surprised that the Leonhart family would do this. Eren growled and set off down the hall. The other two watched him, just as Annie ran out of the interview room, slamming the door behind her, “Fucking...why? Why would my father do that, why would he...where’s Eren?”

Eren got in his car, slamming the door, “That son of a bitch.” He muttered, putting his key in the ignition. He saw a figure out of the corner of his eye walk over and open the door, “Where are you going?”

The young detective looked at the source of the voice to see Annie, looking at him and frowning, “Well?”

Eren huffed and put his seatbelt on, “Sacramento, to talk to your father.”

Annie got in, putting her seatbelt on, “I am coming.” She stated, closing the door.

Eren cocked an eyebrow, shaking his head slightly, “No...no, you are not. Get out.”

Annie crossed her arms, “No. I am coming. That is final.”

“Why should I let you come? It’s too dangerous”

“They will go harder on you without me around. May even kill you.”

The two spent a minute staring at each other, frowning, both of them figuring out what to say next.

“You’re not gonna leave this car, are you?” Eren asked.

Annie smirked, “You got that right, copper.”

The detective sighed before twisting the key, starting the car up, “Fine, let’s go see your father...together...” 

Annie nodded, “Alrighty then, let’s go.”

**  
  
**

“So tell me more about your sister, uh...Mikasa was her name, correct?” Annie asked, looking at the white lines in the road as they passed them by.

Eren nodded, “Uh, yeah, Mikasa Jaeger-well, Mikasa Kirschtein now. She got married to one of the vice detectives at the station. Jean, you kinda met him when you walked in.”

“Was he the tall, horse faced guy?”

Eren just started to laugh. Annie raised her eyebrows, glancing at the detective, “Everything alright?”

Eren nodded slowly as he recovered, “Yeah...yeah...Levi and I used to call him horse face a lot. Jean never liked it.”

“Oh,” Annie said, looking at the road again, she soon after began to laugh, “Oh...well...that is certainly funny.” She said, resting the side of her face on the seat, her eyes watching the side of the road.

Eren smiled, “Yeah, but...they met when I was still in the Pacific, and they got married when I got back. Right now, she is actually...I think six months pregnant with their child.”

Annie’s eyes lit up, “Oh! Really? Tell her I said congratulations.”

“I wi-” Eren stopped, his eyes widening as he realized something. He hasn’t told Annie about Mina.  _When would be a good time?_ He asked himself, searching for an answer in the road. 

He jolted at the touch of a hand on his shoulder. Looking to the right, he saw Annie, concerned, “Eren, is everything okay?” 

Eren looked back to the road, his eyes glancing at her from time to time, “Y-yeah, I’m...fine, I’m just...I’m fine.” 

Annie hesitated, but nodded slowly and took her hand off of him, “Alright, good.”

An hour of silence grew as they drove on the road to Sacramento. Eventually, it got too much for Annie to bear, so she looked at Eren, “So uh...that kiss...that we had…”

Eren’s eyes snapped to look at her, his cheeks becoming slightly red. He nodded, “Yeah...what about it?” He asked. 

Annie glanced out the window, “Well...I didn’t mean to make it seem so...desperate, I guess? Even to me, it just kinda came out of nowhere.”

The detective shook his head, “It wasn’t desperate, I think it was kinda out of nowhere too. But...I liked it.”

Annie covered her face, feeling the heat rushing into it before she looked out the window, “I did too…” She bit her lip, “But I meant it.”

“Meant what?”

“The kiss, it wasn’t a spur of the moment, exactly. I have at times thought about kissing you, but I guess I was too nervous then. But when I did, it felt good...and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.”

Eren smirked, “Well...neither would I, I guess.” 

Annie gave a short laugh, then pointed out the window at a sign, “Look, we are almost there.”

Eren glanced at the sign and smiled, “Finally.”

As they entered the city, they both noticed that it was getting dark. The bright sun has gone, with the light it provided still lingering before it gets smothered out by the stars. 

“It’s been a long trip, Annie, I think we should, you know...get some rest at a hotel. I can’t interrogate someone when I am kinda tired.”

Annie was about to object, when she let out a huge yawn herself, “Uh...I guess I am tired as well. Yeah, let’s go to...that hotel. I will pay for everything, don’t worry.”

“No, you don’t have to-”

“Who’s the richer one here?”

Eren frowned as he parked in the parking lot of the hotel. He stopped the car and turned to look at Annie, “You had to go there, didn’t you?”

**  
  
**

Eren leaned on the counter as Annie got them their rooms. He looked around the place, it was nice, but he’d expect a little more rich to be thrown around. This is a hotel, after all. Try to look a bit better. 

“And that will be one room, two beds.”

Eren snapped his head to look at her, “I’m sorry? You want to be in the same room?”

Annie nodded, “Yeah, it will cost less.” 

“But you have a lot of mon-”

“Shutup, it will cost less.”

Eren blinked before the key was passed to her, she gave a small thank you before pushing Eren along, “I try to not be a celebrity when I am out of town. It helps.” 

Eren nodded, “Alright, sorry.”

Annie and Eren got into the elevator, with her pressing the button to allow the elevator to ascend to the floor with their room on it. Annie leaned against one of the walls as Eren stood there. 

“So that thing in the car, where you said you were fine, but you didn’t...what was that about?”

Eren looked at Annie, surprised at the question, “Why bring it up now?”

She shrugged, “I didn’t want to talk more about it while you were driving, so this is the perfect time.”

Eren sighed and scratched the back of his head.  _What do I say? Should I just tell her?_

Annie cocked an eyebrow, “Is it about the case? Is it about Mina?”

Eren closed his eyes, “Y-...yes…”

“Eren, I think I should deserve to know. Please.” She reached over and took his hand, squeezing it gently.

The detective looked down, the feeling of her hand calming him and allowing him to think. He took his hat off and placed the bottom of it against his chest, “Mina...Mina was pregnant when she was shot to death. Two months. It was Marco’s.”

He turned his head to look at Annie, her eyes wide as her mind processed the info she just heard. Her pupils began to frantically find out the next thing to say in the elevator walls. She let go of his hand and pushed herself more against the wall of the elevator, staying silent, her breath shaky and quivering.

_Ding!_

The elevator doors opened.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you guys for waiting for me. Hopefully I can write these as fast as I used to before Ereannie week. I hope you guys enjoyed it! Thank you for reading!


	10. Leonhart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys, so yeah these will come out slower due to school and I am going to be working at a Renaissance fair soon, and just am busy. But I will try my best. Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 10: Leonhart**

The green eyes stared down at the red carpet floor, the emotion within only showing sorrow. Sorrow and grief. The eyes of Detective Eren Jaeger seem to be showing that a lot since the beginning of this case. And there is more to come in the future ahead of him.

The young man turned his head to look at the small woman laying on the bed he was sitting on the edge of, staring up at the ceiling as he did the floor. But her eyes were filled with shock. Shock and sadness.

He hated to see her like this, but he should have expected this kind of reaction to learning her recently deceased friend was with child when she was murdered.

Eren slowly reached over to touch Annie’s hand, feeling her soft skin. She didn’t recoil,  but she didn’t grab it. She just let him try to comfort her. She appreciated it, but it was not helping.

The detective sighed, “You alright? I mean...did...did you want to talk about it at all? I understand it’s a lot to take in, and I am sorry I just threw it on you like this.”

The celebrity shook her head, “Don’t be sorry. I wanted you to be honest. It’s just...before she died, she called me, saying she had some...big news to tell me the next day. I knew about Marco a bit from her, she would always tell me about this ‘freckled sexy Jesus’. I guess that news was that she was...pregnant. She would have made it a special kind of thing, you know? She would probably say something like ‘Guess who has a bun in the oven?’ or something.” Annie chuckled, “She was a silly girl. I would’ve been so excited for her, and we would probably celebrate by finding some nice pastries to eat. I miss her...I miss her...so much…” Her body slowly began to shake as she started to cry.

Eren let her cry, knowing she needed to let it all out, “If Marco told us about that, we would’ve congratulated him, probably even tease him. Then, to celebrate, we would drink until the sun comes up.” He said, laughing a bit.

Annie stopped shaking and looked up at Eren’s smiling face, taking in the details of it. She slowly began to smile herself before laughing. Eren began to join in, laughing together with this girl in their hotel room.

Eventually, the laughing died down. When they both recovered, Eren smiled at Annie, “Feel better?”

Annie smiled back, sitting up and wiping her eyes, “Yeah...yeah, I feel...so much better. Thank you.”

Eren nodded, he reached over to hug her, wrapping his arms around her,“Well...we should get some sleep for tomorrow.”

He planted a kiss on her forehead, something that surprised her, but she didn’t mind. Another kiss on the lips might’ve been too much, so the forehead was good. She highly appreciated the love and care he was giving her.

“Goodnight Annie.” He said before getting most of his clothes off, excluding his undershirt and underwear, then got into bed.

“Goodnight, Eren.” He could hear her southern voice say from the other bed. A smile appeared on his lips before he closed his eyes, not too long after, the soft blanket of sleep fell over his eyes. Only to throw him into a nightmare.

_Battle of Okinawa. Or Operation Iceberg. April 1st, 1945. It was both April Fools Day and Easter Sunday. Pretty fucked. This was the big battle. A bloody one. The one that probably changed me the most. For the worst._

_We were in the Tenth Army, put in the XXIV Corps, which consisted of the 96th infantry division, and us, the 7th. We were instructed to clear out southern Okinawa, while the 1st and 6th Marine Divisions cleared out the northern part. Connie was...he was scared, as was I. But we both tried to push that away, together. We couldn’t let that get us killed._

_We were told to land side by side on the southern half of the Tenth Army beachhead and pivot south to cover the width of the island. And so we advanced to Kadena and..._

_Wait...what…_

_I don’t remember...this…did it get warmer? Where am I?_

_I was back home, smaller than usual. I was running through the park with Mikasa, when she was young. Was I young too?_

_A string in my hand was connected to a kite, flying high in the air, majestic, swaying side to side as Mikasa and I laughed, having so much fun._

_And she was there...her…_

_Mother. She smiled watching us, enjoying the sight as much as we enjoyed the fun. I smiled and waved at her. She waved back, giving a small laugh. I always loved those. They brightened my day._

_I have never had this dream before. I remember it from when I was younger, but...why am I dreaming about this?_

_I shouldn’t question it, it’s better than my nightmares._

_My younger self then ran up to my mother and gave her a big hug, Mikasa did the same. We were all there, together, happy, not a care in the world. Not a care that...sooner or later...we will be split up multiple times. Not a care that...that...one of us wouldn’t make it to see her...her little girl grow up and get married...and…_

_...We stopped hugging, and my mother told us how much she loved us, and gave us each a kiss on the forehead._

_I love her so much…_

_I miss her…_

Slowly, Eren opened his eyes, being welcomed by the sight of shining sun rays piercing through the blinds. But something was strange. Something new. Something warm and right up next to him. He looked down.

A blonde mess of hair was draped over torso and a limp arm wrapped around him. A smile appeared on his lips. _Is she the reason my dream changed?_ He asked himself. Reaching down, he brushed her bangs out of her eyes.

She stirred, groaning slightly, she lightly lifted her head to look up into Eren’s emerald green eyes. A smile crept on her face as the blood rushed to her cheeks. She looked down to hide her face with her hair, “Uhm...uh...good morning…sorry for uh-”

Eren shook his head, “No, no, it’s alright, it’s...what’s wrong?”

Annie looked up in question, “W-what?”

“Isn’t something wrong? I mean is there another reason you are laying next to me?”

Annie sat up, shaking her head, “No, it was you. I couldn’t really fall asleep, so I heard you start to mumble and make some noises, like you were scared. So...I kinda decided to lay down next to you. To see if that would help. And...you calmed down. And feeling something warm against me made me fall asleep I guess.”

Eren raised his eyebrows, “I was having a bad dream, and...it changed midway to something more pleasant...with my mother.”

Annie’s head snapped up to look at him, “Really? Wow.”

Eren nodded, “Yeah, yeah...well...we should get changed and go get what we need to get done done, yeah?”

Annie’s eyes lit up as she was brought back into reality, “Oh...right…forgot about…” She sighed, “Alright...let’s get...ready, I guess.” Getting off the bed, she collected the clothing she wore yesterday and went into the bathroom. Eren slipped out of bed himself, walking around and getting his clothing before putting it on.

As he did so, he began to think of the dream. _So, she actually helped push away those dreams. There is no other explanation for it. It was nice. Not having another nightmare. But it’s not like I can just sleep next to her. That’d be weird._

He was pulled back into the real world when he heard the bathroom door open. Annie walked out, putting her hair in the bun she is so known for. Eren smiled at seeing her, “Ready?”

Annie, her head turned down to tie her bun, glanced up to look at the detective. She gave a small smile, “Yes, let’s get going.”

**  
  
**

“Okay, so...my father is a very...protective of me and loves me way more than the other way around. Don’t try to show how good our relationship is, okay? He will have guards. Just act respectably around him, please. I don’t want you to get hurt.” Annie told Eren as they drove down the road that led to the Leonhart Estate.

“Wow. Your father seems like a complicated man.”

“You don’t know the half of it. The reason I went to Texas was to get away from him.”

“And look what it got you. A beautiful voice and a cute accent.”

“Don’t you dare make me blush, Eren, my father will hurt you if he sees that.”

“Alright. Alright.” He said, pulling up to the large gate and stopping.

A door to the right of the gate opened and two suited men walked out, both of them looking at Eren’s car before closing the door and walking over. One of them walked around to Eren’s side as the other stayed and looked into the window at Annie, “Who are you?”

Annie sighed and looked at him, “Robert, I can’t believe you don’t remember me. I was the girl that ran through these halls as a child, playing with some of you guys.”

Robert’s eyes widened as he studied the woman in front of him, “Miss Leonhart? Oh-oh, my apologies. But...who is this?” He asked, pointing to Eren.

Annie turned her head to look at Eren before looking back at Robert, “A friend. We need to talk to my father. Is he available?”

“He is kinda busy, Ann-”

“No, we need to talk to him now.”

“But-”

“Now.”

The guard sighed before nodding to the other guard on Eren’s side, “Let’s let them in.”

Leonhart sat at his desk, cigar between his lips, looking at some reports, “We will need to improve. Fire the bad workers, hire some better ones.”

A man stood in front of him, nodding, “Yes sir. We will get on that immediately. Uh...anything else sir?”

Leonhart closed the folder, handing it back to the man, “No, you may leave. I am expecting results next month, ya hear?”

The man nodded, “Yes sir.”

He turned and walked towards the door, opening it and passing the threshold.

He was about to close the door behind himself before a young lady held her hand out, “Stop!” She said, pushing the man aside and opening the door wide to reveal everyone in the room to her and the young man standing behind her.

Leonhart’s head shot up, his eyes wide as he saw his daughter standing in the doorway, staring daggers at him, like she did when she didn’t get what she wanted back when she was a child.

“An-Annette? What are you doing here?” He asked, his voice gruff and curious simultaneously.

Annie sneered, about to take a step forward when a hand caught her upper arm. She wrenched her arm away, breaking free of Eren’s grasp. She walked up to her father’s desk, his two guards alarmed at this approach, “Why? Why did you do it?”

Annie’s father blinked, “Did wha-”

“Don’t give me that fucking bullshit, father!”

“Annette, how dare you use that language with me!”

“I don’t care. I don’t care. God dammit I don’t fucking care what you think! I never did! Why did you do it!?”

“Do what!?”

“Hire two men to watch over me! And-and-and...and order them to shoot up The Warrior, my pride and joy father! And kill my pregnant best friend and her boyfriend! And try to kill Eren! What the fuck possessed you to do such a...horrible thing?!”

The father slammed his hands down on the table, “Now listen to me, young lady! You think I wanted to do that? Do you? I didn’t have a choice!”

Annie’s eyes widened, “What...what do you mean? Did someone...who told you to do this?”

The father’s eyes began to dart around, “Uhm…” He sighed before sitting back down, pushing his hair back, “I said too much. Please leave.”

Annie frowned, “What? D-dad...don’t do this to me. Dad...dad!” She pounded her fist on the desk, causing her father to look up.

“What the hell is wrong with you? This is for your safety. Now, if you both want to be safe, you and your detective Jaeger, then leave.”

Annie hesitated before finally huffing and turning to Eren, “Come on, detective. Let’s go.”

Eren frowned, “Wait, you are just gonna-”

She walked past him, grabbing his arm to lead him along, “Come on. We are going back to LA.”

As they walked away, her father lifted his head, “Be careful, Annette! This is a dangerous world!”

 

Eren’s mind was still sitting on the situation that occurred only fifteen minutes ago as he drove him and Annie out of  Sacramento, back on the road to the City of Angels.

He turned his head to look at the girl in the passenger seat, who was slowly dozing off, her head resting on her fist. He sighed, “So...why did we leave? I mean...why did we leave that easily?”

Annie blinked the sleep out of her eyes before she rubbed them. Annie looked at Eren, “What?...Oh...It’s because...well...it’s because once something brings harm to his family, i.e. me, he will do anything in his power to stop it from coming to me. I told you, Eren, he is protective.”

Eren twisted his mouth in frustration, “Damn...well we got no leads now...none that I can think of…say...how does he know who I am?”

Annie raised an eyebrow, “He has connections, Eren. In the governments of California, police departments, businesses. The only business he doesn’t have his dirty fingers on is my nightclub.”

Eren nodded, “Right...right…”

There was a moment of silence before Annie spoke up, “Hey...Eren…”

The detective glanced over, “Yeah?”

Annie looked down at her hands, “Uhm...thank you...for letting me come…”

Eren chuckled, “You really didn’t give me much of a choice.”

Annie smirked, “Well...thank you...I appreciate it...trusting me enough to come with you.”

Eren shook his head, “Forget about it, it’s nothing. You helped me a bit too. I actually had a good night’s sleep because you decided to get in my bed with me.”

Annie’s smirk turned into a smile, “Really?”

“Yeah, for years I have been having nightmares of...of the war...you know? And last night, I was beginning to have one, when all of the sudden it changed to something better. A dream where Mikasa and I were kids and our mother was still alive. It was a good dream.”

Annie looked down, “That’s...that’s great, Eren. I wouldn’t know your predicament. All I’ve lost is a friend. You lost a mother.”

Eren nodded, “Yeah…” He stayed silent for a moment before taking a deep breath, “Well...I should focus on the road more right now. You rest, if you need it.”

“I don’t need it…”

Eren smiled and nodded, “Alright.”

**  
  
**

Eren glanced over to see Annie passed out in the passenger seat. He chuckled as he drove past the “Welcome to Los Angeles” sign just as the night fell upon the city. He decided not to wake his passenger up. _Besides, she looks cute when she sleeps._

Eventually he reached over and touched her shoulder, right as they were driving up to her estate, “Hey...hey, Annie. We are almost at your place.”

He could hear moaning and groaning coming from his passenger, and her small frame moving slightly before lifting her head, her eyes spotting her home in the distance, “Oh...yay...finally…” She said sleepily.

Eren smirked at her sleepy voice, finding it beautiful once mixed with her slightly southern accent. He looked forward at the house, sighing in relief as he hoped he just might be able to sleep there for the night.

And as he was thinking this, a huge flash of bright flames blinded him as the house exploded. The sound of the blast deafened the two temporarily. The detective stepped on the brakes,causing the two to get jerked forth. Once they recovered from the effects, Eren spoke up.

“Annie? Annie...are you okay?”

He could hear some coughing from the passenger seat, “Yeah...yeah...I’m fine Eren...ugh...I’m fine...what was that?”

Eren’s eyes widened as he lifted his head to see. _Yup_ , he thought.

“Annie...it’s your house…”

“What…” She quickly lifted her head, her pupils contracting from the light of the flames, “...No...fuck no...my house, Eren... _my house!”_

Eren put the car in park and got out, raising his forearm up to shield his eyes from the blaze as he walked over. As he walked, two silhouettes in front of the fire came into vision. Footsteps behind him reached his ears, “Annie...stay back…”

“I can handle whatever comes at me, Eren.”

The detective sighed as they kept on walking, “Al...alright…”

Eren lowered his forearm, “Hey!” He shouted at the two.

One of them spun around, reaching over to tap the other, who turned around to look at the detective and the celebrity, who stopped a distance away.

Suddenly, one of them move their hands and a gunshot echoed throughout the burning mess, and a searing pain shot through Eren as he felt the bullet graze his ear. He covered his ear and got down, pushing Annie down with him, “Down!” He ordered, reaching into his jacket and pulling out his gun.

This another gunshot. A bullet hit the ground next to Annie, earning a quick intake of breath from her and a small flinch. Eren frowned and aimed at one of the two, pulling the trigger.

One of the figures fell down, not moving afterwards. The other one made an angry noise before aiming. He only pulled the trigger once before Eren aimed and shot, hitting the other man, who crumpled to the ground.

Eren stood up, his eyes searching the environment before reaching down to touch Annie, “It’s safe, come on.” He said, running to the bodies of the shooters. Annie got up and followed after.

Eren stopped in front of the two bodies, thinking both were dead. He crouched down and poked one of the men with his gun, “Dead…”

“Eren!” Annie shouted. The detective looked at her to see that she had a foot pinned down on the wrist of a hand holding a revolver, “Drop it.” She hissed, twisting her foot. The man cried, revolver dropping from his hand.

Eren picked up the revolver and tossed it into the fire, “Step off of him, Ann.”

She nodded before taking her foot off of the man. Eren could see a hole punctured through the man’s abdomen and he was slowly bleeding out.

The young detective looked into the eyes of the dying man, their eyes meeting and locking, “Why did you do this?”

The man stayed silent. He only stared.

“Why!? Why did you fucking do this!?”

The man shook his head, and not long after, he closed his eyes and dropped his head back. Dead.

Eren stood up, kicking the dead body, “Fucker!”

He looked over at Annie, who was staring into the flames, her eyes searching for anything that might have survived. But she was calm about it now. Like as if she accepted it. Eren looked around, his mind running with questions and theories to the current situation. It all led to nothing. He has nothing. He stepped over the dead body and grabbed Annie’s hand.

This time, her fingers tightened around his.

“So...what did you guys find?” Eren, not wearing his jacket, looked to Mike Zacharius, one of the two arson detectives, as they stood in front of the burnt house, the flames now gone as the firefighters put it out.

Mike glanced at the young detective, sighing, “We found traces of tetryl and trinitrotoluene. The latter you know as TNT. From what we can get from those two, they used a block of tetrytol, probably somewhere warm in the house, like turning the oven on in the house and putting the block in there.”

“Tetrytol? Jean told me they used those in Germany as shaped charges.”

“Yeah. Really low breaking point. Probably took less than five minutes.”

“Wow. Well, make sure the men are brought to the coroner. We need to find out who they are.”

Mike nodded as Erd walked up, “You got it, Eren. Just get some rest. And take care of your girl.” He said, gesturing behind Eren.

Eren looked over his shoulder at Annie, sitting on the curb and looking down at the asphalt, Eren’s jacket draped around her shoulders.

“She isn’t really my girl. Just a friend.”

He heard Mike laugh, “Of course, Eren. Just go. Rest. You need it.”

Eren nodded before turning around and walking over to Annie. She didn’t look at him as he walked over, “Hey Eren.”

Eren sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her, “Sorry about this.”

Annie looked at him slightly, “It’s not your fault.”

Eren nodded, “Do...do you have a place to stay?”

Annie shook her head, “No...no one...and I don’t want to go back to my dad.”

Eren sighed, “Well...how about...ugh...do you want to stay with me?”

Annie’s eyes lit up, she quickly shook her head, “Oh, no, no, no, no...no...I couldn’t. You already did enough for me. And I don’t want you to be inclined to offer me this because I am famous or anythi-”

“No, not at all. Just...I have a guest room, you can stay there until you get a new house. I am gonna be out of the house most of the day.”

Annie glanced up at Eren before she crossed her arms, “Are...are you sure?”

Eren gave a warming smile before nodding, “Of course.”

**  
  
**

The door to Eren’s house opened, with the young detective walking through and opening the door more for his new guest, Annie Leonhart, “Well, Annie, there is a guest room upstairs. Very comfy bed, good enough for a celebrity.”

Annie blushed as she walked in, “Oh my, I am not a celebrity anymore. Not in here. Don’t treat me like one.”

Eren smiled, leading her up the stairs, “Well, basic rules, no messing around with my stuff. That kind of shit.” He opened the guest room door for her, “Here is the guest room.”. She nodded and walked in, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

Eren leaned in the doorway, watching her as she stopped in the middle of the room and sighed, “Well...I guess this is good enough. Uhm...we can get you some new clothes tomorrow.”

Annie sat on the edge of her bed, looking up at the detective. She nodded, “Uh, yeah...that sounds great, thanks.”

Eren nodded and smiled, “Alright...well, goodnight, Annie, sleep well.”

Annie nodded to him, “Goodnight Eren...you too.”

The detective left his new guest in the room, walking across the hall to enter his bedroom. He pulled off most of his clothing, remaining in his underwear, before getting into bed. Pulling the covers over his cool body. His mind was running with questions. _Who wanted Annie’s house blown up? Who were those men that did the deed? And what is Leonhart so scared of that he can’t tell his daughter anything?_

These kept him up until finally, his eyes were forced to close by exhaustion.

_Battle of Okinawa. April 1st, 1945. You already know the background so let’s skip ahead._

__

_We were told to land side by side on the southern half of the Tenth Army beachhead and pivot south to cover the width of the island. And so we advanced to Kadena and took their airbases for ourselves. Then we drove from the west coast to the east coast of the island that very same day. We were doing well._

_Then we moved south, encountering…_

_What?_

_It’s changing again._

_I feel a swaying motion. The sounds of chatter. Chatter filled with anticipation and relief. Relief that we are alive. Relief that we will be able to see our families again._

_To see my family again. Only one of them is left._

_I saw her as soon as I stepped out onto the dock. A smile appeared on my face. After the terror I saw during the war, it’s nice to see the face of my dear sister, Mikasa. She looked happy. When she saw me, I saw tears, and I felt tears come down my own cheek. Tears of joy. I ran to my sister and picked her up, hugging her tight to my body._

_I didn’t want to let go._

_But we all have to let go at some point, right?_

Eren’s eyes opened. _That dream...that must mean that…_  
Glancing downward, he could see the blonde head of his guest. He smiled and reached down to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. She looked so peaceful, being asleep.

He noticed the moon off in the distance out his window. He gave a small smile before placing his head back on the pillow, closing his eyes, and falling back to sleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed reading this. Wasn’t really that much action oriented, but noire isn’t suppose to be full on action. Thanks for reading!


	11. Funeral

**Chapter 11: Funeral**

The thought of death is one that sticks with someone’s mind the first moment they think about it. It festers, sits and waits until an event occurs that allows it to spring up and expand the regions of one’s mind again. These events can range from seeing their pet die, to reading a death in a book.

To a funeral.

However, in this particular funeral on this particular day, these mourners were contemplating a different thought. Standing around two gravestones, these mourners stood and tried to think of a world where these two poor souls were still alive right now.

One of them, the young homicide detective, stood there next to a young blonde actress, glancing at her from time to time as he thought of the scenario. Marco would’ve been a father. Eren would still have met Annie but this time through Mina, who would be on her way to become a mother. It would’ve been a great life.

Meanwhile, Annie was thinking of her friend. Her dear best friend. Mina Carolina. By now, probably even sooner, that girl would have been teasing the poor actress endlessly about Eren. And Annie would take it, and love it, and love her.

Tears began to fall down the actress’ cheeks, the memories of her friend, who is now six feet under her shoes next to the father of her never-born child, becoming too much for her.

Eren’s eyes peered down at his recent house guest, glancing around at the others before gently grabbing her arm and pulling her along, a bit away from the others, before stopping and placing his hands on her shoulders. He looked into her eyes, “You gonna be alright? You want to go home?”

Annie wiped the tears from her eyes and shook her head, “No...no...I’ll be fine. Just getting emotional...you know?”

Eren nodded, “Yeah...yeah…” He glanced to the side to see Jean walking over. He turned to acknowledge the detective, “Hey there Jean.”

Jean tucked his hands in his pockets, “Hey, Eren.” He said, pulling a cigarette out to place between his lips and light. He pulled it out, “Are you...are you sure you don’t want to help us clean out Marco’s apartment?”

Eren hesitated before smiling slightly and nodding, “Yeah. I have to help clean out Mina’s apartment with Annie.”

Jean’s eyes glanced at the referenced girl, seeing how sad she was. He nodded, “Alright. My apologies for your loss, Miss Lionhart.” He turned back to Eren, “I should get going. See you at the station tomorrow?”

Eren looked over Jean’s shoulder to see Mikasa running, or trying to run, over, “Uh, yeah...see you tomorrow, man.”

Mikasa caught up, breathing heavily as she reached over to hug her brother, “We will see you later, Eren. You two should come over sometime. For dinner.”

Eren looked at Annie, who forced a faint smile, “Sure...I guess...that sounds great.”

Eren smiled and looked to his sister, “Maybe in a week or so?”

Mikasa, who finally caught her breath, smiled, resting her hands on her swell, “That sounds good. Anywho, I am tired and need to sit down. Hun...can we go?” She asked, looking at her husband.

Jean looked back at his wife before nodding and looking to his friend, “Of course. See ya tomorrow, Eren.”

Eren nodded once, “See you tomorrow.”

And as the married couple walked away from the two, the young homicide detective watched as Levi and his family walked out of the graveyard, not before the former looked over and nodded to his partner, who nodded back to his superior.

Eren’s eyes turned down to the smaller girl next to him, “Hey…”

Annie’s head snapped up to look at him, “Yeah?”

“We should…probably get going, yeah?”

Annie’s eyes lit up, “Oh, yeah...right, right. Yeah, let’s get going.”

Eren smiled faintly and nodded before taking her hand and leading Annie to the car.

 ****  


The bronze key glinted in the small light provided above as Annie turned it over in her hands, seeing the correct number on the key, confirming that this key belongs to the apartment door in front of her. Her eyes ran along the sides of the door, the indents of it.

A hand was placed on her shoulder. Her head turned around to face the taller detective standing behind her, “Come on, Annie. Might as well get it over with.”

The actress blinked before slowly nodding and putting the key in the lock. Twisting it, she unlocked the door with a _click_. Then she turned the knob and pushed it, letting it squeak open to reveal Mina’s apartment to the couple, “This is it.” She said.

One step was taken into the wide living space. Annie knew that a bedroom was not far beyond them. Annie smiled from her friend’s apartment. Mina liked things complex, from drinks to clothing, except for her own house. Three rooms: a living space/kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom.

Eren stepped past the actress, holding a large cardboard box, and placed it on the ground, “Man she has a lot of things.”

Annie nodded, walking up to a snow globe on a nearby shelf. She took it and shook it, watching as a flurry of fake snow threw itself around, creating a fake snowstorm inside of the glass sphere, “Yeah...that’s Mina...always wanting more...always...wanting what she saw...almost...almost like a child...you think her child woul-”

Eren held a hand out, “Annie...stop...before you push yourself down the rabbit hole of emotions.”

Annie looked over her shoulder at the detective. She sighed, putting the snowglobe back, “Uhm...yeah...yeah, right, you’re right. Sorry.”

Eren nodded and looked around the room, his mind now running with question about the unborn child, “But...I do wonder what it would have looked like…”

Annie joined in, “The gender…”

Eren blinked, “The name…”

Annie’s lip turned upwards in a snicker, “With Mina...it probably would’ve been something ridiculous...like...Gwendolyn-I guess that isn’t ridiculous. Maybe...I don’t know, but it would’ve been something you would roll your eyes at.”

The corner of Eren’s lip turned up, “Marco wouldn’t have allowed that.”

“Mina wouldn’t have given him a choice.”

Eren laughed, “Yeah, I guess.”

Annie laughed with him, but it soon faded into tears, her whole body convulsing as the memories poured forth.

Green eyes scanned the young lady, and several steps allowed for the gap between them to be closed, with the detective reaching out to pull her into an embrace, “Shh...calm yourself…” He slowly let go of her, stepping back, “Come on...ugh, we should get to work.”

Annie reached up to wipe her eyes, regaining control of her emotions and concluding it with a deep exhale, “Alright...you’re right...what should we start with?”

 ****  


“That time you showed me a drunk Marco was great, probably the highlight of our tenth date.” Mikasa laughed, sitting in the chair, watching as her husband packed up his dead friend’s things. He went back and forth, collecting objects and items that were around the apartment, bringing them back to their assigned boxes. He shook his head as a humorous smile appeared on his face.

“Yeah. Oh god that was great.” He said, stretching out his back, “Oh god...well time to clean out the kitchen.”

Stepping into the kitchen, his wife began another story, “Remember the time our car broke down and Marco was nice enough to pick us up? And it turned quite weird.”

Jean started getting the appliances out, “More like awkward. As it was literally the first time he met you. I was planning on introducing you to him but that car breaking down really changed that. And you two didn’t have much to talk about, so the whole car ride was silent. But when he dropped us off, you said-”

“Thanks Freckles.”

Jean leaned against a wall and started to laugh, “Ohhh...oh god…that was...his face afterwards was just perfect.”

Mikasa smiled, “Yeah…”

Jean nodded before walking back into the kitchen, “I wonder what he has in his fridge.” He said, opening the fridge door to see almost nothing but some meats and cheeses, most of which were spoiled. He huffed and closed the door, about to turn away when a piece of paper clipped to the fridge caught the attention of his eyes. He stopped and leaned in to look at it more. His eyes widened and his hands reached up to snatch the note off of the fridge before hurrying out to the living room, “Honey, let’s pack up quick and get out!”

Mikasa turned her head up to her husband, eyes wide, “What’s wrong?”

Jean stuffed the piece of paper in his pocket, moving around to pack more things, “We got a...god damn lead.”

Eren’s house was usually empty, not much stuff. He always says that he did not need more stuff, as the house is only meant to serve few purposes. For the most part, as shelter and a nice place to sleep.

But now, now that Mina is gone and the items that littered her apartment were now put in boxes and scattered about his house. Eren’s eyes looked from box to box, listing off what was in which. He mouthed the words.

_Personals...Awards...Books…_

While listing these, he forgot about the blonde head on his lap on the couch, talking up to him, “Eren...Eren what’s wrong?”

Her voice snapped him out of his trance. He blinked multiple times before looking down at the head in his lap, “What?...No, nothing’s wrong.”

Annie’s blue eyes looked up at her, “I wanted to ask you something but you did not seem to hear me.”

Eren’s eyes lit up, “Oh...I’m...I’m sorry Ann. W-what did you want to ask me about?”

Annie turned her head and pointed up to the wall. On it, a display, which held Eren’s Medal of Honor, shining in the light. She re-pointed her finger to make sure he saw it, “That medal. It’s the medal of honor, right? I want to ask again...how did you get it?”

The detective looked up at the medal before turning his head back down to the actress now gazing up at him, “I got it by being in the war.”

Annie smirked before hitting his shoulder, “No, seriously.”

Eren sighed and glanced at the medal again, “I...I don’t really want to talk about it...at least...not yet, anyway.”

Annie sighed with him, lifting her head from his lap so that she could sit up and look at him, “I know it...it has to be hard, trust me. Whenever I heard of veterans causing disturbances in my club, I did not kick them out. Instead, I would take them in the back and talk to them. They poured their guts out to me, Eren, about the horrors they have seen. And it helped them. They didn’t cause any more troubles.”

Eren cocked an eyebrow at the girl before smiling, “I am not causing any troubles, Ann. I am fine.”

Annie frowned slightly, “I don’t believe you, Eren. I don’t. Those nightmares you are having, the ones I stop? Those can cause troubles.”

The young man shrugged, “Those are not harming anyone. No one is being troubled. I am not causing any disturbances.”

Annie looked down at her hands, “But what if you do? And someone gets hurt? What if I get hurt?”

Eren opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself, looking to the side to contemplate the scene given before him. Of him losing control for one little slip up, and Annie becoming hurt as a result from it.

He turned his head down and shook it, “I can’t...that would be horrid. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.”

Annie reached over to place her hand on his, “Then tell me, it will help you sleep much better.”

Eren glanced at her with concern, “Not yet, please...just give me time, yeah?”

Annie nodded and leaned in to press her lips up against his, getting a taste of the young detective. She placed her hands on his chest, feeling his warm beating heart. She ended the kiss by pushing back slightly and looking into his eyes, “Just remember that you will have to bring it out sooner or later. Promise me that you will tell me sometime soon?”

Eren looked back into her eyes, slowly smiling and nodding, “Alright...I promise.”

The actress smiled and leaned in to kiss him again, this time pushing in deeper. The length of this kiss went from seconds to minutes, when a phone ringing interrupted it.

Eren sighed and looked at Annie, leaning down to kiss her nose before getting off the couch and walking over to the phone. He hesitated before answering it, “Hello? Jaeger Residence.”

The voice on the other end was hurried and rushed, almost freaked out, “Eren? Eren? It’s Jean. I am at the station. I need you here now! I found something at Marco’s apartment I haven’t seen before and you need to see it!”

Eren cocked an eyebrow, “Jean? Wh-what is it?”

“I will show you when you get here. All I can tell you is that it’s a new lead!”

The detective’s eyes widened, “A…” Jean hung up the phone on the other end, “A new lead?” Eren asked himself, turning to look at Annie before sighing and walking around, getting his things on, “Listen, Ann, I am going to the station. It’s important. Will you be alright here?”

The woman nodded, “Uh...yeah, I will be fine.”

Eren smiled and took a few steps up to kiss her on the lips, getting one last taste of her before he sighed and walked to the door. Opening it, he took one step forward, turned his head to look at Annie again, and say, “Goodbye.” Before he stepped back out into the world, closing the door behind himself.

 ****  


Jean’s eyes were staring straight up at the ceiling of the detective room, the smoke from the tip of the cigarette protruding from his mouth curling up into the air. He blinked a few times, his mind lost in the case. The note he found. It was big news. So big that he came back to the police station on his day off.

He knew Eren was going to arrive in a minute or so, he called him about half an hour ago. This was Eren’s first big case, so the kid was anxious to see it through. That, and the fact that it was a dear friend. For both of them.

Speaking of the devil, Jean’s ears picked up the sound of leather dress shoes tapping quickly against the wooden floor coming closer. He reached up and pulled the cigarette out of his mouth before turning his head down to see the younger detective entering the room, “This better be good, Jean.”

The vice detective nodded and pulled open a drawer. He reached in and picked up a note before holding it out to Eren, “I found this taped to Marco’s fridge.”

Eren gave Jean a curious look before snatching the note from his hand and lifting it up into his view. His eyes widened as he read the note, seeing a familiar number sketched across the lines.

His head turned up, surprise written across his face, “... _Connie?”_

Jean slowly nodded, “I know, I was pretty surprised too. I was thinking you could call him over so that we can find some things out from him about this.”

Eren raised an eyebrow, hesitating. He didn’t want to think Connie was lying to him, but this could mean something huge. Something that could change the course of this case.

He turned his head down and sighed, “Fine...fine…” He reached over to grab the phone at his desk, placing the note down on the wooden surface. His finger turned the rotary multiple times, inputting the numbers from the note.

Once he completed the task, he stepped back and waited for the call to connect. The time seemed to stretch out, becoming longer and longer, until finally, a man answered.

“Hello?”

Eren straightened his posture, exhaling deeply, “Connie? It’s uh...Eren, your buddy.”

The voice on the other end was surprised, “Eren? Oh hey, Eren. It hasn’t been that long, has it? Uhm...what’s...what’s up?”

Eren smiled, “Oh...I was wondering if you could, you know, come to the station? I...we need to ask you some questions.”

The other end was silent for a moment or two before Connie cleared his throat, “Uh...yeah, yeah, that’s fine.”

The young detective smiled faintly, “Alright, get here as soon as you can.”

“Okay.” Connie said before the line cut off.

Eren looked at the phone before placing it back on the receiver, “Oh god...ugh...well...where is Levi? Did you tell him?”

Jean cocked an eyebrow, “Yeah...yeah I told him. He is busy right now though. Checking out the bodies that blew up Miss Leonhart’s home. That reminds me...how is she?”

Eren’s eyes snapped up to look at Jean, “Annie? Yeah...yeah...she is fine, probably better than I am.” He chuckled before stopping, sighing, and shrugging, “She is good. So...what is going to happen to Bertholdt anyway? Gas chamber? Life in prison?”

Jean placed the cigarette back between his lips and shrugged, “I don’t really know. He did murder a lot of people. Though it is very likely it’s either of the two you listed. The bastard deserves whatever is coming to him.”

Eren crossed his arms and looked down, “Hm...yeah…”

Half an hour later, a small shaved man stepped past the threshold, unknowing of what awaits him.

Eren was leaning against a nearby wall, his green eyes looking Connie up and down under the shade of the fedora before pushing himself off and walking over, “Good, you made it.” He said, pulling his hat off and smiling to his friend, “Come on, we got the interview room ready for you. Right this way.”

The homicide detective turned on his heel, walking down the hallway before reaching the second interview room. Connie followed, getting slightly anxious as he thought he already answered Eren’s questions.

Eren placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it, opening it wide for the freelance journalist.

Inside of the dimly lit room sat another detective, a taller one with ash brown hair. He was tapping his finger on the table, a slight smirk on his face, “Ah, Connie. It’s good of you to join us.”

Connie was beginning to feel more uneasy by the second, “And you are?”

Eren stepped past him, “This is Detective Kirschtein. Vice detective,” He began, sitting down, “And my brother-in-law. He is just here to, you know, observe.”

Connie cocked an eyebrow before slowly nodding, “Uhm, o-okay…” He said, sitting down across from Eren.

Eren nodded and smiled, “So...we have reason to believe you were acquainted with Detective Bodt.”

Connie’s eyes widened. The room became silent except for Jean’s finger tapping. _Tap...tap...tap…_

The journalist blinked, “Uhhh...uh, uhm...no, I don’t know any Marco Bodt.”

Jean leaned in, “We didn’t say his first name.”

“W-what?”

Eren sighed, looking down at his hands. He clapped them together, interlocking his fingers before shooting his two index out, both of them pointing at Connie. He lifted his head, his narrowed eyes staring the smaller man down, "Don't lie to us, Connie. It's better to _not_ lie...trust me. We found a piece of paper in Detective Bodt’s apartment that had your name and number on it."

Connie's eyes darted left to right, trying to find an excuse in the walls enclosed around him, " I don’t kn-know how that got there. I-I-I saw his name in the...I just assumed...I-"

His stuttering was interrupted by Eren slamming his palms on the desk, “Connie! I remember a better man than you! One that cared! For justice! What happened to him?”

Connie frowned, “What happened to him? He is still here! He is caring now for someone that he loves! Trying to protect me and her both because, frankly Eren, you have no fucking clue who you are dealing with! These are very powerful people who will tear us all apart!”

Eren began to walk around the table, “I swear, Connie, if you-”

A hand stopped him. The young detective looked up to see Jean shaking his head, “Don’t go to violence. We need to stop.”

Eren glared at Jean before realization struck. _Hitting a friend will bring me down the wrong path. The path I don’t want to go down._

He turned his head down to look at Connie, who was looking slightly scared. The detective glanced back up at Jean before looking down, sighing, he took a few breaths before he finally calmed down.

Eren lifted his head and walked back to his chair, sitting down, “Alright...alright...let’s move on...uh...have you taken pictures of Historia Reiss?”

Connie lifted his head up, “E-excuse me?”

Eren sighed before nodding, “Uhm...the pictures we found on Detective Marco Bodt’s body...they had a dress in them, with wings embroidered in it...and Historia was wearing the same dress at the dance Annie and I went to. I am just wondering if you happened to have taken those pictures, with your connection to Marco?”

Connie remained silent, not saying a word. Fear was in his eyes. Fear of what might happen to him and his fiancee. He didn’t want to risk it. Eren understood that.

Eren continued calmly, “If you give us any evidence pertaining to the case, we will protect you from any threats. We promise.”

Connie glanced down at his hands, very unsure of himself. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind, searching for the right path to go down.

The photographer finally began to slowly nod, “Alright...alright...I...I do have one piece of evidence.”

Eren nodded, “Yeah? Okay, where is it?”

Connie sighed, “It’s uh...it’s back at my place.”

The detective nodded, “Alright, I will accompany you to your place then. I promise you that you will be protected.”

Connie nodded, “Alright...can we go now?”

Eren looked at Jean, who glanced back and nodded, “I will stay here at the station man.”

The younger detective nodded and stood up, “Well, Connie, let’s get going.”

Everyone else in the room stood up and followed Eren out the door. As Eren turned to head into the main hallway, he stopped in his tracks.

Both Erwin Smith and Nile Dok were standing in front of him, the former with his arms crossed.

Eren heard Jean release a small air of surprise, “Uhm...sir what are you doing here?” He asked, probably referring to his captain, Dok.

Dok gave a smirk and shrugged, “Just watching an interview with a friend.” He sighed and turned his head to the homicide captain, “I should get going, Erwin. It was nice chatting with you again. See all of you later, except for the photographer, probably.” He said, nodding to them, letting Erwin nod back to him before the vice captain turned and headed down the hall.

Eren looked at Jean and Connie, “Jean, you should get back to work, I got everything handled. And Connie, go...wait outside, I will be out in a minute or so.”

As they left, Erwin kept his eyes on them before they disappeared from his sight. He then shifted his gaze onto the young detective in front of him, “Eren, that interview you did. Those questions you asked...and those photos. What photos are you talking about?”

Eren’s eyes widened as he was asked the question, looking around for a way to get out of this. There was none. The detective inhaled before letting the breath out in a defeated manner. He gently grabbed Erwin’s sleeve to pull him back, out of the sight of everyone. He spoke as he did so, “Alright, I’ll tell you, but I need to know I can trust you.”

Erwin gave an incredulous look to the younger man, “I am your captain, of course you can trust me. Why?”

Eren was about to speak, but stopped himself, then continued again, “We...uh, Levi, Jean, and I have reason to believe that the Reiss family is somehow involved with the shootings. There was a dress with embroidered wings in one of the photos we saw on Marco’s body. When I was with Annie at the Hollywood Palladium, Historia Reiss, yes, the mayor’s daughter, was wearing that same exact dress. I didn’t get time to talk to her as the whole place was gunned down later on. I am sure this picture that Connie kept will tell us the rest of the story. Please, sir, we got to jump on this chance.”

Erwin frowned at the younger detective as he spoke, tilting his head in curiosity. When Eren finished, he nodded, “I am skeptical, I really am, but I will allow you to continue, as we seem to be grasping at stra-”

Erwin’s sentence was interrupted by the sound of a machine gun outside, followed by a scream. Eren’s eyes widened as he pushed Erwin to the side, “Connie!”

He sprinted down the hallway, skidding as he turned the corner to run out the front door to see a car drive off. Eren turned his head to the right to see his friend clutching at his stomach, a rich red liquid spilling from between his fingers.

Eren got down on one knee next to Connie, “Connie, keep your hands on the wound, I will get you to a hospital! Just stay calm and don’t say anything!”

The detective hooked his arms underneath the bleeding man and hoisted him up. Quickly, he ran down the sidewalk before making a fast turn to the right, the receiving hospital already visible to him. He sprinted to it, feeling the body in his arms moving around.

The doors to the hospital burst open when he ran into them, everyone in the vicinity looking towards him as he looked at them back with panicked eyes, “I need a doctor!”

 ****  


As Eren watched his friend get carried off to get treated, he pulled his hat off and placed it on a nearby bench before resting a forearm on a wall. He planted his head on it and closed his eyes, breathing heavily, “It’s my fault...god dammit...it’s my fault…”

He kept himself there, wallowing in sadness over his friend getting shot. He blamed himself. But was it his fault?

 ****  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Summer break is fast approaching so I can spend more time on writing than on work. Thank you guys for being patient, and please comment if you think there is something wrong or if you like a certain part. Comments do help me a lot. Bye now!


	12. Photo

Chapter 12: Photo

 

Eren waited in silence, phone pressed up to his ear, as he called Connie’s apartment again, hoping that that girl he talked about, Sasha, was there to pick it up. The wait was agony, as he just wanted to spit it out to her and slam the phone on the receiver so he does not have to think about what to say. It always makes it worse for him.

He was about to pull the phone from his ear and place it back on the receiver until he heard a voice on the other line, “Hello?” It said. It was a female. And it sounded almost worried. Like as if she was expecting something from this. Like she knew Connie was involved in some bad business.

Eren glanced around at the woman in front of him, who was manning the front desk to the receiving hospital. She was working, whistling, not paying attention to him, as if he was not going to deliver some terrible news.

He closed his eyes, “Uhm...do you know a...ahem...a, uh, Connie Springer?”

There was silence on the other side for a small moment, before she spoke up, “Uhm...yeah...yeah, he is my fiance. Why? Who is this?” Her worry was becoming more obvious.

Eren inhaled, wanting to keep the breath inside so he would not have to release it out. But he could not keep it inside. Holding his breath in for too long will eventually cause him to pass out. So he exhaled. And he let it all out.

“I am Detective Eren Jaeger, a friend of your fiance. I am afraid to inform you that your fiance has been shot. He is being treated right now for bullet wounds. I don’t know if he will make it or not. We are at the Central Receiving Hospital behind the police station, please come as soon as possible.” He said rather quickly.

Sasha understood it all, a large gasp escaping her lips and what also sounded like a whimper, “What!? Oh...oh my god! I...I am on my way, I-I will be right there!” Then the call was over, and the girl on the other end was now rushing to the hospital.

He kept the phone to his ear, his mind thinking of what to do next. Eren’s brain was working so hard at figuring out what to say, he didn’t know what he would do afterwards.

But not long after, Eren came to his senses and placed the phone back on the receiver rather forcefully, jolting the nurse from her melodious whistling. He glanced at her, his eyebrow raising slightly before he cleared his throat and walked off to sit down at the bench, so that he could feel his guilt in peace. He kept his eyes on the floor

 

Half an hour later, with Eren’s green eyes still focused on the ground below his feet, he sighed, not sure if his friend was going to make it or not. He had saved Connie back in Okinawa, which was one of the reasons he got the Medal of Honor, among other things.

_Other horrible things,_ he thought to himself, the words echoing in his mind, the images swirling around him. They tortured him, poked and prodded at him, forcing him to look up and see what he had done. They began to crowd, enclosing upon him. He could not push them away, only place his face in his palms and hope they will go away soon.

“Excuse me?”

Those two words formed into a question dispelled the memories from his mind, leaving the young man sitting on the floor of his inner workings.

Eren lifted his head from his hands, looking up to see a young woman, probably a bit smaller than himself, looking down at him with concerned light brown eyes that were read and puffy from previous crying. She reached up to push a few strands of hair from her face, blinking. She was wearing a navy blue shirt dress with ruffles and white buttons, which somehow complimented the shiny red shoes she had on.

He blinked a few times before speaking, “Uhm...hey. Are you…?”

“Sasha Blouse. I am Connie’s fiance. The news was so sudden, and I came as fast as I could. I was riding the bus but it was too slow so I just decided to go on my own. Uhm...may...may I sit down?”

Eren cocked an eyebrow, wondering why she was asking that question, before looking at the area on the bench next to him to see that his hat was there. He sighed and nodded briefly to her before grabbing his hat and placing it on his head, “My apologies, miss.”

She nodded to the detective and sat down, “It’s no problem. Uhm...were...were you the one that...called me? Detective Jaeger?”

Eren glanced at her, biting his lips, “Uh...yeah...fought with Connie in the war. He was a very brave...and very stupid man,” He chuckled slightly, “But he kept morale up. And I...I hope he makes it through this.”

Sasha turned her eyes downward and nodded, smiling briefly, “That’s why I love him. That...and he is a pretty decent cook.”

Eren blinked, turning his head slowly to Sasha, “Excuse me? I did not know this.”

Sasha smiled, “Yeah...yeah...it surprised me too. Say...you got a smoke?”

Eren nodded and reached into his suit to pull out his cigarette case. Holding it out to Sasha, she gave a brief smile before picking one cigarette out of the ten lined up and placed it between her lips.

Eren snapped the case shut to pull out his zippo and light up the end of the cigarette. She nodded to him, taking a drag of the cigarette, “Thank you. So...do you know of his condition?”

The detective sighed and shook his head, “Sadly, I do not. I am sure he is going to be fine, though. I got him to the hospital quick.”

“How bad was he-?” Sasha’s sentence was cut short by the opening of doors by one of the doctors that took Connie away. He was holding a chart in his old wrinkled hands.

Instantly the fiance was up to her feet. She passed the cigarette to Eren and used two of her fingers to twist the ring on her left ring finger in anxiety, “I-I-Is Connie okay?” She stuttered, obviously nervous.

The doctor gave a small encouraging smile to the woman, “He is stabilized and is recovering as we speak.”

Eren stood up, cigarette held between his thumb and forefinger, “Can I...talk to him?”

The doctor slowly shook his head, “Sadly, no, he is asleep. But maybe you can come later on and talk to him. He needs rest right now.”

The detective sighed as the fiance stepped forward, “Can I be with him? Please? I just want to be by his side.”

The doctor looked down at the chart, hesitating before eventually giving in and nodding, “Alright, that will be fine. But no waking him up.”

Sasha smiled, turning to the detective, “Thank you, Detective Jaeger, for getting him here.” She reached out to hug him before pulling back and gesturing for the doctor to lead her to the doors.

Eren smiled back to her before he turned his attention to the doctor, “Hey doc,” He said, taking out a card and giving it to the other man, “Give me a call once he wakes up. It is very important.”

He took the card from the detective and nodded, “Of course, detective.” And with that, he led the woman through the doors to her fiance.

Eren waited until the doors closed completely before he decided to walk outside. His feet met the asphalt, clapping along with his gait down onto the sidewalk, where a familiar small figure approached him, “Ahh, there you are, Eren. Jean told me you’d be here. Is Connie okay?”

The young man nodded to his older partner, “Yeah, he will be fine. The doctor will call me when he awakes.”

“Then we can delve deeper into this shitstorm of a case?” Levi raised an eyebrow in question.

Eren chuckled, “Uh, yeah, I hope so.”

Levi smirked before taking the cigarette from Eren’s hands, the latter forgetting he was even holding it. The former placed the cigarette between his lips and jerked his head down the sidewalk, “Come, we need to get back.”

As they walked back, the taller man looked to the smaller one, “So...learn anything from the coroner’s office?”

While Levi didn’t give it away, Eren has been working with him long enough to sense something was wrong.

His next words confirmed that, “Yeah...but we can’t talk about it here. We are going to the basement. In private.”

Eren nodded, wondering what it could be as they entered the police station, Jean walking up alongside them, “Hey, you’re back. How is everything?”

Eren shrugged, “Okay. Connie is gonna make it. The doctor will call me when he is awake.”

Levi pointed at Jean, “You also come with me, we have something to discuss.”

“What?”

“When we get to the basement, you will find out.”

As they reached the first step down to the basement, Levi stopped, gesturing for them to continue, “Just making sure no one is following, you two keep going.”

Eren and Jean looked at each other, uneasy about the information Levi has found out before they continued downward, Jean getting a chair to sit down in and Eren pacing back and forth in front of him, a little antsy.

Levi, once deciding all was safe, descended the steps, hitting the basement floor with a click of his heels against the cement. He pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and stamped it out in the ashtray on the table, “Alright...what I am about to tell you does not leave this room, okay?”

Jean leaned on his elbow, raising an eyebrow, “Yeah, yeah, of course.”

Eren stopped and took his hat off, holding it by his side as he slicked his hair back, “Just tell us already Levi.”

The older detective switched his sight from one young detective to the other, reading their body language and faces. Jean was slightly relaxed, not really anxious but still very curious, while Eren just wanted him to spit it out.

He leaned in over the table, the other two doing the same, and glanced at them again before nodding and letting it out.

“The ones who blew up Miss Leonhart’s home? Both of them were police officers.”

Eren and Jean’s eyes widened, the former speaking, “Excuse me?”

Levi nodded again, “Officer Nac Tius and Officer Mylius Zeramuski. New recruits.”

“How do you know they were…”

The older detective reached into his jacket and pulled out a pistol, placing it on the table, reaching in again to pull another pistol, “Standard issue Colt Official Police revolvers. Check them out.”

Eren and Jean glanced at each other before they each picked up one pistol, examining them in the light. They were in perfect condition, barely shot. Eren opened the cylinder, “They are chambered for .38 Special rounds.”

“Exactly. Plus their hair was cut short, the same way new policemen cut their hair.”

Jean looked up, “Alright, well what are we gonna do? We can’t tell anyone of this.”

Levi nodded, “True. But I thought it would provide some insight on who we are dealing with.”

“Our own men.”

“Yup.”

Eren looked ahead in thought, “So this is what Connie meant-”

He was interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming down towards them. Levi’s hands shot out and grabbed the guns, his body twisting around to hide them behind his back as the footsteps came closer.

The sight of leather shoes descending the steps eventually led to the reveal of their owner: Nile Dok. He looked at them curiously, “Hey...uhm, Jean...your wife is on the line. She is concerned. Oh, and she also wants to talk to you, Eren.”

The young detectives sighed, Eren speaking up, “Well, we should get upstairs.”

Levi nodded to them both, “I got everything handled down here. Go on, before she goes insane.”

Once the two were up in the detective room, Jean snatched the phone from the receiver and fell into his chair, “Hey, Mika...no, no, I am alright, I wasn’t caught in the gunfire.”

As Jean spoke to his wife, Eren leaned against the wall, his mind running wild with new thoughts and theories. Though the words of Connie from back in the interview room kept on appearing.

_“These are very powerful people who will tear us apart!”_

Now those words were ringing true. The police. The very protectors of this city, are somehow involved in this case, and they can’t say a thing about it. _This has to be kept low. To protect the ones I love._

“Eren, she wants to talk to you.”

The detective snapped out of his trance, glancing at the phone being held out to him. He took it and put it up to his ear, “Hey, Mikasa.”

“Eren? Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened? I heard there was a shooting.”

The young man smiled, “Yeah, I am fine. Connie has been hurt, but he is doing okay. Don’t worry yourself, I heard somewhere stress is bad for the baby.”

“I am not stressed, just a bit worried. I am glad you are okay. I just wanted to make sure, can...can I speak to Jean again?”

Eren chuckled, “Of course.” He said, handing the phone back to the vice detective, “Here’s your wife back.”

It was then that Eren’s own phone rang. He sighed, reaching over to pick up the phone from the receiver and put it up to his ear, “Yes?”

“Eren?” The voice was instantly identified by the southern twang.

“Annie?”

“I heard about the shooting on the radio. Are you alright?”

Eren nodded, even though she couldn’t see it, “Yes, Ann, I am fine. But my friend was wounded. He is okay though...recovering...in the hospital, but he is fine.”

He heard a sigh of relief on the other line, “Oh thank god. I was worried, that’s all. Uhm...I guess you should get back to work, huh? I will let you do that. See you tonight.”

Eren smirked, “Of course. See you tonight.” Then he hung up, placing the phone back on the receiver.

Jean hung up his call as well, “Ugh...uh...anyway, shall we go back downstairs?”

Eren glanced to the side in thought, “Uh...nah...let’s see if we can get any work done up here.”

“Alrighty. Let’s get to work then.”

A few hours later, Eren and Jean were looking through the files again, trying to find any leads they missed. All was silent.

Then Eren’s phone began to rang.

This jolted them out of their focus, with one detective looking at each other.

“Answer it.” Jean ordered.

Eren turned to his phone and picked it up, bringing it to his ear, “Hello?”

“Detective Jaeger?”

“Uh...yeah…”

“I am calling to inform you that Mr. Springer is awake and able to be questioned.”

Instantly, Eren was up to his feet, “Really? Thank you! I-I will be there right away.” He slammed the phone onto the receiver. He twisted around to run out the door, only giving Jean a, “Gotta go, see ya later!”

Jean was left confused.

“I am so glad you are okay.”

“Me too.”

“So does it hurt?”

“Yeah, Sasha, it hurts. But it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“Alright, then.”

Connie smiled up at his fiance, holding her hand tight in his, their fingers interlocking. He grunted as he leaned up to kiss her.

The door to his room opened a bit, allowing a head to poke out, smiling at his friend, “Nice to see you are awake, Conman...and alive, for that matter.”

Connie chuckled, “Oh, hey Eren. The doctor told you I was awake?”

Eren stepped in, closing the door behind himself, “Yeah, he did,” He approached the bed, “Listen, things are getting pretty...things are taking a turn...and I need to know where that photo is. Just tell me the location of your apartment and where the evidence is. I can get it myself.”

Sasha glanced at her fiance, “What photo?”

Connie glanced back before sighing, “A photo of...something that you shouldn’t know...it’s dangerous...just let us handle this…” He turned his head to the detective, “It’s hidden in a picture frame of Sasha and I. Sasha...give him the key.”

Sasha looked a little uneasy, “...Alright, just leave it under the mat when you exit.” She pulled the brass key out of her pocket and held it out to Eren.

He smiled and nodded, “Of course,” He said before taking the key, “Thank you.” He said, switching his eyes from her to Connie, “Both of you.”

Connie nodded back, “I hope you find what you are looking for.”

Eren nodded again before turning around to exit the room, muttering under his breath, “Me too.”

****  
  


Connie’s apartment was quite a mess. Books and pictures strewn about like a spider’s web. It would be almost impossible to get across from one end of a room to the other without tripping on something.

The door opened, creaking to reveal the young homicide detective with wide eyes, marveling at the mess of an apartment. _How could Sasha stand this?_ He asked himself before he stepped in, closing the door behind him. _Alright, a picture of him and Sasha._

He ducked under one string of photos, then stepped over another so that he could reach a desk that contained several photos of the couple. Eren scratched the back of his neck before he decided to just open them all, spilling the contents of them onto the wooden surface. He examined them, checked for the picture, but found nothing, “Shit.” He cursed, swiping them all off of the desk and onto the floor already littered with photos.

Eren sighed before looking around, spotting the door to their bedroom. Maybe in there.

As he walked into the room, he reached out for a light, as it was quite dark. His hand felt nothing for a few seconds before he finally grasped a cord and pulled it. Light exploded from the lamp, illuminating most of the room. The detective turned to look for a picture, his eyes spotting one on the nightstand.

Eren grabbed it, seeing the picture was one of Connie and Sasha at the pier. Turning it over, he pulled open the back of the frame seeing a picture face downwards. He picked it up and looked at the back before taking a deep breath and turning it over. His eyes widened at the contents of the picture, blinking a few times to make sure he saw it right.

In a rush, he pocketed it and closed the frame. _This has to get to Levi._

 

Eren shut the door and locked it with the key with a shaky hand, hearing the audible click. He then crouched down to lift the mat and place the key underneath it. Taking a deep breath, he stood up, his mind running, yet again, with more questions of the picture.

His leather shoes clapped against the hardwood floor of the hallway, the sound echoing across. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, his right hand feeling the photo. _Can’t let anyone get this._

Eren turned his eyes upward, seeing a man walking his way. _Just someone who lives here,_ he thought to himself, taking another deep breath. He reached into his suit to pull out his cigarette case as he passed the man.

That was when he heard the sound of leather squeaking and metal flipping out of a container.

Instantly he twisted around, holding his case up just in time to push the man’s outstretched hand, inside of which held a switchblade, flipped out and ready to stab.

The reaction time surprised the man, giving Eren enough time to elbow the man in the face before wrapping that arm around the one with the switchblade. Dropping his cigarette case, he used his now free hand to grab at the wrist of the man.

Eren twisted his body, swinging the man into a nearby wall. He let out a grunt of pain as he dropped the switchblade, the now useless tool clinking against the floor. The detective pushed the man away and dove to snatch the blade. Once his fingers wrapped around the handle, he twisted to face the man.

To find that the mysterious male had disappeared.

Eren, wide-eyed, looked around to see if the man was hiding. Nothing. He had ran.

The detective closed the blade shut, pocketing it before reaching down to grab his cigarette case, “I gotta get to Levi.” He told himself, putting his case in his suit pocket, seeing that it was almost nightfall, “Before this photo gets anyone else killed.”

****  
  


Levi’s eyes ran across the words of the document, still finding nothing that could help the case. _Everything ends up in a god damn dead end._ He closed the file and placed it back on the table, putting his hands on his hips.

After the two other detectives left, he hid the police guns in the filing cabinets. Under cases and files that would never be looked at again. Then he got back to work, looking at files on Historia and the mayor. And here he is, finding absolutely nothing.

The sound of quickened steps descending the stairs caused the old detective to quickly turn his head towards the entrance to the basement, hand prepared to pull out his gun.

His fingers relaxed as soon as he saw that it was his partner, Eren, who had a paranoid look on his face, peering over his shoulder, as if someone was behind him. This caused Levi to give him a curious yet worried look.

“Eren? What’s wrong?”

He looked to Levi, then took one last look up the stairs before walking over. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a photo. He placed it on the table, “This is big.”

Levi cocked an eyebrow, his eyes glancing down at the picture before him. Glancing up at Eren again, he stretched his hand out and grabbed the picture to bring it up into view. He couldn’t believe what he saw.

It was the same window from the previous shot up photos, but this time he could see that it was the window of an apartment, the picture taken from a dark apartment building across from it. The same white dress with embroidered wings was hanging from a rack, the owner of which was the subject of the particular photo. And she was not alone.

Historia Reiss, daughter of the mayor, was seen, fully nude and pushed up against the wall of the apartment. The one pushing her against the wall was a taller, darker-skinned girl with dark brown hair. Her middle and index fingers were halfway inserted into Historia’s clit. The smaller blond girl had her face turned to the side, visible to the camera. She was in ecstasy, obviously pleasured by the other woman’s actions.

Levi blinked a few times, trying to make sure he saw it all right, before placing it back on the table, face down, “Where...did you get this?” He asked, slightly shaken.

Eren pulled a chair out and sat down, “Connie’s apartment, hidden in a frame. And as soon as I exited the apartment,” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the knife, throwing it on the table, “I was attacked by a man. I couldn’t see his face, it was covered by his hat.”

The older detective reached over and slid the knife closer, “This...this photo is dangerous...it can get people killed.”

The young man nodded, “Yeah...yeah, I know...oh trust me, I know.”

Levi slowly nodded, “Alright…” He took the picture and the knife, pocketing them both, “This is being kept between you and I, got it? No one, not even Jean, can know about this until we trust them. We can not talk about this anymore, not even here. If one word of this slips out, we are both dead. Understand?”

Eren glanced down at the table, studying the knots in the wood, “Yeah...I understand.”

Levi nodded again, “Okay...you go home. I don’t want any resistance...you did a lot today, really. Just go home. I will get the knife checked tomorrow.”

The young detective raised his eyebrows, staying silent for a moment. He glanced up at his superior, “You sure?”

“Yeah, I am sure. Go.”

Eren hesitated, tapping his fingers against the surface of the table, before nodded and getting up, “Alright, Levi, alright...be careful.”

“You too.”

And with that, Eren tipped his hat and ascended the stairs, leaving the older man with himself.

 

 

The door to Eren’s house opened as the detective entered, sighing and taking his hat off to place on the hat rack. He then shed his jacket, “Annie? I am home!”

He could hear her voice upstairs, “I am in the bedroom! Come on up!”

Eren smirked at the sound of her southern twang, throwing his jacket on the top of the hat rack, “Alright! I will be up in a minute!”

His mind began to loosen as he ascended the stairs, now thinking about the woman who has been living in his house for a while. Reaching the top step, his head turned towards his bedroom door, seeing that it was slightly open.

The detective stopped in front of the door, looking down at his feet and smiling faintly before placing his hand on the wooden surface and pushing it open.

In front of him, Annie was wearing his other suit, the dark blue one. It was big on her, so she had to pull up the sleeves a bit. Her lips were turned up slightly, lighting her face up beautifully as her hair was down. She held her hands out, “Well? How do I look?” She twirled around, as if she was showing off a new dress.

Eren couldn’t help but give a short chuckle, “Well...it looks a bit big on you, I’ll say that, but...you look good in it.”

Annie’s smiled widened, starting to take the tie off, “Thank you, Eren.” She then fell silent, pulling the tie off completely, it hung limply at her side, “I…” She began, taking a step forward to him, “I got pretty worried when I heard about the shooting over the radio. Worried for you.”

Eren nodded, “Well...I am okay, so you don’t have to worry.”

She stepped up to him, hooking the tie around his neck to pull him further into the room, “I know...and I am glad you are okay.” Her cheeks were beginning to turn pink, “Listen...for the whole amount of time we have known each other...I am now starting to believe that...I am...falling in love...with you, I mean. Really.”

The detective cocked an eyebrow, “I think so too. I believe I am falling in love with you as well. But...what is this all about?”

She let go of the tie, letting it slip to the floor, before she took her hat off, tossing it to the side, and then taking her jacket off, letting it fall off her shoulders, “This case...about Mina and Marco...it seems to be getting much more dangerous.” She unbuttoned the vest, “And the chance of you dying…” She pulled the vest off, “It’s becoming more likely by the day. And I don’t want you to die.”

Eren glanced down, “I am...not...going to die, Annie. I am careful.”

Annie undid the buttons of her pants, letting them drop. The only article of clothing left being the white button up shirt that was big enough to cover her body. She began to undo the buttons, “I know you are careful. But I still get worried. And I just want one thing to happen before you go out there again. Just one thing.”

Eren cocked an eyebrow again, “What?”

Undoing the last button, Annie pulled the shirt off to reveal her naked body to him. She took a few steps forward, “Just...stay with me...for tonight? I get lonely when you are away.” She muttered just loudly enough for him to hear. She then took his hand and placed it on her cheek

Eren glanced off to the side, feeling the warmth rush beneath her skin. A smirk slowly formed on his face as he let his fingers caress her cheek lovingly.

“I would love to spend the night with a celebrity.” He whispered before leaning his head down to press his lips against hers.

****  
  


 

The smoke curled up into the light of the basement before dissipating, the old detective pulling the cigarette out of his mouth with the two of his fingers, blowing puffs of the grey mist from between his lips. His eyes were focused on the picture in front of him, thinking about what damage this can do to Los Angeles as a whole.

He couldn’t show this to anyone, unless he wanted to endanger their lives. He hated this. He can’t trust the people he works with. Only Eren. And since he can’t tell anyone about it, he doesn’t really have much to go on. Connie wouldn’t talk to him, only to Eren.

“Fuck.” Levi rubbed his eyes, “I hate this so fucking much.”

The old detective sighed, supporting himself on the table with his hands as his eyes scoured the objects on top of it.

Then the phone began to ring.

He cocked an eyebrow at it, wondering who it could be, before sighing and picking it up to bring to his ear, “Hello?”

A deep, low voice on the other end would send shivers down the spine of any officer, but not Levi, “Is this Detective Eren Jaeger?”

“No, it’s his partner, Detective Ackerman...who is this?”

“Not important. I have some...evidence...pertaining to the case you are handling right now. This is some big stuff.”

Levi’s eyes widened, “What?” He frowned, “What is it?”

“Meet me in the trainyards by the Port of Los Angeles. Be quick.”

Then the man hung up.

Levi pulled the phone from his ear, staring at it with an almost incredulous look. _I don’t know about this one,_ he thought to himself, unsure over whether or not he should even go.

_The man said to be quick, so I have to make a decision, here and now._

His eyes turned up to the far wall on the other side of the room. They narrowed before he finally placed the phone on the receiver. He got his hat and jacket on, “Gotta hurry if I wanna get there in time.” He said, picking up the picture and pocketing it before hurrying up the stairs and out of the building.

****  
  


The sounds of imports and exports could be heard from afar, along with the crashing of the waves against the rocks. They created a symphony of ambience, with Levi’s shoes crunching the gravel beneath them.

He turned his head, gun ready, at the train cars, careful to not fall into a trap. He wondered if he had made it on time, or he was too late. Maybe he was too early. Or maybe the whole thing had been a lie, and no man with important evidence is even here.

The old detective stopped in the center of the trainyard, his eyes searching left and right, his hand tightening around the handle of his gun. He allowed the noises of the environment to overwhelm him; the breeze, the waves, the port, all culminating into something beautiful.

“Ah, you’re here.”

Levi’s eyes widened. _That voice…_ He twisted around, seeing the man before him, “You…”

The sound of metal sliding against cloth, of machinery doing it’s work, and the quick _chik_ of a silenced weapon. Before Levi could say anything more, a bullet lodged itself into his throat, the impact echoing through his mind.

The detective felt the gun slip from his hands as he dropped it to allow his fingers to wrap around his wound, trying to stop the flowing of blood. He couldn’t breathe. And when he tried to open his mouth to curse the man, blood spat out instead.

The man walked over and placed his hands on Levi’s chest, giving it a brief shove. The detective stumbled backwards, eventually tripping on a train track and falling down onto his back, earning a liquidy grunt and another sputter of blood from his lips.

The man crouched down next to him, reaching into his pockets. He searched each one carefully before feeling what he was looking for. He pulled out the picture of Historia and that strange other girl. A smirk was visible behind the dark curtain the shadows provided, “You should’ve stopped the case after you got the shooters. But no, you just had to fall deeper into the rabbit hole.”

Levi spat blood in the man’s face before reaching into his pocket, pulling the switchblade out. The blade flicked into position, the moonlight gleaming off of the metal. He swung it at the man, who caught his wrist and twisted it, forcing Levi to drop the blade, letting it fall harmlessly to the ground.

“That...is mine.” The man muttered, pushing Levi’s hand away and grabbing the knife. He stuffed it into his pocket, “Well, old friend...it has been a good time, hasn’t it?”

The man began to walk away. Levi, determined to still fight back, shot his hand out to grab the man’s ankle. The man looked at the struggling detective, “Fuck, do you ever just give up!?” He growled, wrenching his ankle out of Levi’s grasp and raising it up to be stomped down on his face, leaving a mark and knocking the old detective out.

The man straightened his jacket, “It’s about time.” He said before breathing in the sea air and walking away.

Levi passed away not too long after, under the beautiful night sky of Los Angeles.

 

 

Eren’s green eyes looked out the window, smiling at the stars as he held the sleeping beauty known as Annie close to his chest. Life is beautiful, he thought to himself, unknowing of the events that had just transpired that same night.

Eventually, he closed his eyes, falling asleep.

****  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you guys for reading! I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a comment if you liked something or want to tell me about something I did wrong. See you guys next time! Also I want to start thanking Nakamatoo, Ghastmine, and AskSaneBelarus (insomniatictitan) for helping me with these chapters. Thank you guys!


	13. Gone

**Chapter 13: Gone**

****  
  


Eren’s first sensation once he realized he was conscious was that of the cold breath against his warm skin. He slowly opened his eyes, seeing Annie laying next to him and studying him intensely. She noticed he woke up and gave a faint smile, “You look cute when you’re asleep.”

The detective laughed, leaning down to kiss her lovingly before pulling back, “How long have you been awake?”

Annie glanced off to the side, “About...an hour, at the very least.”

Eren laughed again, laying down on his back and looking up at the ceiling, “Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, very.” She said simply, looking at him for a minute or two in silence before sighing, “Hey Eren…”

Eren cocked an eyebrow at her, “Yeah?”

She glanced downward before sighing again, “I know it may seem way out of left field, but...I think it’s time you told me...about Okinawa.”

Eren widened his eyes, “Uh...I don’t...I shouldn’t.”

“You should. It will help.”

“Annie, I am fine.”

“Eren...please?”

The detective stared into Annie’s blue orbs, narrowing his green ones before sighing, lying back down, and closing his eyes. He remained silent for a minute.

Suddenly, he began to speak, “O...Okinawa...April 1st, 1945. It was known as Operation Iceburg.” He could feel Annie’s colder hand wrap around his warm one, squeezing tightly. He softened slightly at the touch, “Uhm...we were in the...Tenth Army...a part of the-no... _put in_ the XXIV Corps. The XXIV Corps consisted of us, the 7th Infantry Division, and...the 96th. We were instructed to clear out Southern Okinawa. The 1st and the 6th Marine Divisions were set to clear out the northern part. Connie...you know, my friend? Yeah, he was scared...and so was I, I guess,” He could feel her hand squeeze tighter, a way to comfort him, before he continued, “We were told to land side by side on the southern half of the Tenth Army beachhead and pivot south to cover the width of the island. And so we advanced to Kadena and took it’s airfield quite easily, then drove from the west end of the island to the east in the first day. We were getting cocky. We then moved south, to Shuri, where we encountered resistance. Casualties were had. At least 1,500. For the next month or so, we were engaged in a 51 day battle on the hills of Southern Okinawa. Throughout the battle, I had seen men get blown apart, I had held down men who had spears sticking out of them, I had seen ambushes end in a sea of dead men. We started to collect prisoners for the first time in the war, due to low morality, high casualties, and poor equipment. For five non-stop days, we fought. We fought to secure areas around the Nakagusuku Wan and the Skyline Ridge, as well as Hill 178. Then we moved on to Kochi Ridge, securing it after a two week battle. And after thirty-nine days of fighting, we were sent into reserve, due to the high amount of casualties.”

Eren opened his eyes, taking a deep breath, “After the 96th took Conical Hill, we were put back into the fight. We were pushed into positions on the southern Ozato Mura Hills. That was where the resistance was the heaviest. It was also where Connie was wounded. He got caught in gunfire and I had to run out and pull him into cover, shooting at the enemy with my rifle in one hand. I was almost killed multiple times, but I had to get him back home alive. I also came close with a couple of grenades, but I threw them back.”

He took another deep breath, “During the battle, I also...killed a few of our men. I had to. They were either in pain and wouldn’t make it out alive, or their wounds made them too loud in the night when we were trying to hide. This one guy couldn’t stop crying, so I took out my knife and stabbed him through the neck, cut his vocal cords. If he had been too loud, the whole squad would’ve been found and killed. I had no choice. Even clamping my hand over their mouth did not silence them, I couldn’t do anything else I couldn’t…” He looked over at Annie, who nodded to him.

“Just calm down Eren...we can take a break, if that’s what you need.”

He looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath, “No.”

“Then go ahead. When you’re ready.”

“Then we took the Ghinen Peninsula, Sashiki, and Hanagusuku, the last two were because of some of my actions, like taking out gun nests by myself. After around two months, or more, of combat, we finally ended the battle. They surrendered and we were secured the next day. We were going to be sent on another mission, Operation Downfall, but then...Hiroshima was bombed. And we won the whole war.”

He sighed, “When I came home, everyone had heard that I got the medal of honor, everyone congratulated me. When all I wanted to do was to be left alone.”

The room was soon filled with silence, Eren looking up at the ceiling as Annie looked at him. At his body language. She reached over and hugged him close.

“It must’ve been hard, but I am glad you let it out.”

Eren pushed her away a bit, “Don’t thank me...I was fucked up, I really was. I really...am. I killed some of my own men. I have seen men burnt in caves from flame tanks with a stone cold face, because I didn’t feel a thing from it. Then I finally realized that the enemy was also human. They also had fucking families that I have ruined because their father or brother won’t be fucking coming home. Because I shot them, or gutted them, or blew them up!”

He got out of bed, starting to put his clothes on, “I was a pawn. I was pushed onto the map and told to kill these people. And to be perfectly fucking honest, Annie...it wasn’t worth any of it!”

“Eren…”

“No...no, I am done. I...ugh...see you downstairs.” He said, grabbing the rest of his clothes and walking out of the room with them.

Annie, wide eyed from the man’s episode, got out of bed and began to get her underwear on before putting the big white button up shirt that is too large for her. She then walked into the bathroom and put her hair up in her trademark bun, glancing at herself in the mirror. _Did I push him too far? I could’ve let him stop earlier._ Her eyes stared for a minute before she sighed and walked out.

As she descended the steps to the first floor, thinking of ways to apologize to him, she could hear the sound of sizzling food. Her eyebrow raised, “Eren?”

Her feet hit the final step before landing on the floor, taking a few steps forward to turn around the corner and lean against the doorframe to the kitchen.

Eren, now fully dressed except for his jacket and hat, cooking breakfast, which consisted of bacon and eggs.

She took a step in, “Hey.”

The detective glanced over, his green eyes quickly fleeting from her gaze, “Hey…”

“...I’m sorr-”

“No...it’s fine...you’re right...I do feel better...but you shouldn’t apologize for my past.”

“But I practically pushed you to-”

“No, Annie, please. Can we just not talk about it anymore? Sit down. I am making breakfast.”

Annie walked over and sat down at the table, “Well, that’s obvious.” She smirked.

He smiled and put the food on the plates, turning around to place them on the table, “I am...sorry for the way I acted.”

“I thought you said you didn’t want to talk about it anymore?”

“I know, I...I just wanted to say sorry. That’s it. No more. Just...don’t say anything about it?”

Annie turned her eyes down at the food, nudging the bacon a bit with her fork, before nodding, “Yeah...of course.”

Eren smiled and sat down, “Good, uh...thank you.”

A smile graced the lips of the blonde, “No, Eren, thank you.”

****  
  


“Well, I should probably get going. You good just being here?” Eren placed the hat on his head after they ate, leaving it loose before he put his jacket on.

“Yeah, don’t worry about me. You have shit to solve.”

The detective let out a breath of amusement, “I sure do. Well...see you tonight?”

“I ain’t going nowhere.”

He leaned down to kiss her before turning around to open the door to the bright sunny California streets, “Then see you tonight.”

****  
  
  


As his car pulled into the parking lot of the police station, he noticed that Levi’s car was not parked next to his. _Strange,_ he thought, _Levi is usually here early._

Opening the door, he stepped out, eyes still on the spot where Levi’s car was, “Maybe he just decided to sleep in?” He asked himself.

Eren stood there, his mind still on the empty parking spot in front of him, before he turned his head towards the station, “I should get to work.” He said, wondering what they could do with the switchblade and the photo. _Maybe Armin can find some prints?_

The doors opened wide to a normal scene: busy, busy, busy. Officers quickly walking from one side to the other, papers stacked high as the eye can see, and the front desk getting calls as usual. Eren smiled at it, being in a rather cheery mood due to last night’s escapades.

Ascending the stairs, he entered the detective room, spotting Jean as he gazed out the window in thought.

“Good morning, Jean!” He greeted, jolting the vice detective out of his trance. He twisted his chair around to face Eren as the homicide detective sat down.

“Uh...good morning, man...is something wrong? You usually aren’t this cheery. Like, why are you smiling?”

Eren realized then that he was smiling, and just shrugged, “Beautiful day...no...no other reason.”

Jean cocked an eyebrow, a silence growing between them before Eren broke it, “So uh...where’s Levi? Is he downstairs?”

Jean twisted his chair to face his desk, shrugging, “I don’t know. Don’t think so. I talked to the guy at the front desk, and he said shortly after you left last night, he left as well, and has not come back.”

Eren found this strange. _He usually does all-nighters._

“Maybe...maybe he just went home? Maybe Hange wanted him to come home earlier?”

Jean took a cigarette out and lit it, picking up his pen. He jerked the point towards Eren’s phone, “Call him.”

The young detective nodded and picked up the phone, putting in the number for Levi’s home. As it rang, he looked at Jean, who was watching him with curiosity.

Soon, the ringing was cut off and a voice reached Eren’s ear, “Hello?” It was female. Young.

“Uh...hello...I am Detective Eren Jaeger. May I ask who this is?”

All he could hear in the background was a voices, some young and some older, some in joy and others in what sounded like worry.

“Detective? Do you work with my father? Your name sounds familiar.”

“Your father is Levi, right?”

“Yeah!”

“Then yes, I work with him. Could...could I speak with your mother?”

“Uh, sure, hold on...Mom? It’s...what’s your name?”

“Eren Jaeger.”

“It’s Detective Eren Jaeger. Yeah, Dad’s partner.”

Eren waited as he could hear the sounds of the phone exchanging hands. He then heard a more familiar voice, “Eren?”

“Hey Hange. How is everything?”

“Good. Good.”

Eren glanced at Jean, “Do you know where Levi is?”

“What? I...I thought he pulled another all-nighter.”

“Uh, that’s not the case, he left shortly after I had left last night. He has not returned.”

“Well...he must be drinking somewhere or...following a clue or...or something.”

Eren chuckled, “Yeah...yeah, probably. Call if he comes home.”

“Of course. Bye.”

“Thank you, Hange. Bye.”

He placed the phone back on the receiver, “She says he didn’t come home last night. He is probably...out there. Some clue or something.”

Jean nodded, “Probably. Well...just get back to work until he comes back, I guess.”

“Yeah...hey, where were you last night?”

“Home.”

Eren nodded, silence soon following. _He wouldn’t just go off like that, though. He would’ve called. And he wouldn’t be gone this long._ He was getting worried.

Suddenly, the phone rang, jolting Eren out of his thought process. He picked it up, bringing it to his ear. The voice was that of a young man, “Detective Jaeger?”

Eren hesitated, “Yeah.”

“It’s Officer Samuel Linke Jackson. Badge number 1261. A corpse has been found in the trainyards by the Port of Los Angeles by a worker.”

The young detective’s eyes widened, “What? Is it a...nevermind. I will be there soon.”

Hanging up, he could see Jean staring at him from the corner of his eye. Eren got up and straightened his jacket, “Dead body found in the trainyards by the ports.”

The vice detective stood up, “May I come along?”

Eren looked at him, “Uh...sure, why not?” He said, gesturing for Jean to follow before walking out of the room.

****  
  
  


The blue Oldsmobile pulled up to the trainyards by the Port of Los Angeles, the sun shining brightly on the crime scene, giving the melancholy sight a hint of ironic beauty.

Eren stepped out of the car, hearing his shoe crunch the gravel beneath it. He reached up slightly to tip his hat downwards more, so as to block out the sun. Seeing the gathered crowd ahead, he sighed and turned his head towards Jean, “Might as well walk through them, the journalists are going to be in a frenzy.”

Jean closed the passenger side door, “You think?”

“I know.”

As they approached the scene, Eren could already see the journalists turning around to face them. He shook his head, “No questions until the body and the scene has been checked out!” He shouted, pushing his way through the crowd.

Getting past them, he took out a cigarette and lit it, placing it between his lips so that he could slide past the barriers. The detective looked around, spotting Jean following after, “Got lost?” Eren asked.

Jean chuckled and shook his head, “No, just had to shove a few journalists away.”

Eren smirked, turning his head to face the crime scene, he could see an officer talking to a trainyard worker, trying to get as much information as he can out of him.

Eren then saw the covered body, with Armin crouching down next to it, shaking his head. The homicide detective found that peculiar. He took a step forward, “Hey, Armin. Something wrong?”

Instantly the blonde’s head turned to look over his shoulder at Eren. He stood up, “Eren...go back. I got everything handled.”

Eren rose an eyebrow, “Armin...what do you mean? It’s my job to look around.” He took another step.

Armin twisted around to face him, taking some steps toward Eren, “It’s alright, you are so busy on that Marco case, just let me do this one.”

Eren glanced at Jean, who shrugged, “Armin, what’s wrong? Something is wrong.” Another step.

Armin held his hands out, walking forward to gently push Eren away, “Go back.”

Eren’s eyes switched to the covered body, his ears blocking out what Armin said. He noticed the body was quite short, and didn’t look female. His eyes then traveled along the floor, seeing a grey hat sitting by itself. _A grey hat._

Suddenly, his eyes widened. He peered down to look at Armin, “No…”

Armin raised his eyebrows, seeing the horrific dawn of realization spread across the homicide detective’s face, “Eren, I-”

He was pushed aside by Eren, who walked over and kneeled next to the body, muttering, “It can’t be…there’s...there’s no way.”

Armin stood aside and watched as his friend grabbed a corner of the cloth and lifted it slowly. Eren’s eyes waited in agony for confirmation.

A split second of shock shot across his face before it was replaced with horror. Immediately, the detective shouted and pushed himself away from the body, letting the cloth drop. He stared at it, pulling his legs to his chest and wrapping his arms around them.

Silence filled the area. The journalists stopped and watched the detective as he kept his eyes on the corpse. His breath unsteady. His chest expanding and contracting rapidly. His heart beating fast in it’s cage.

He blinked, his vision blurring as the tears welled up in his eyes before spilling out. He slowly began to shake his head, “No...no...it’s not him, it can’t be him, how can...how can it be him? It’s not Levi. It’s not…” He managed to choke out.

Armin’s expression was solemn as he  walked over and crouched down next to his friend, placing a hand on his shoulder, “It is, Eren. It’s Lev-”

“No it’s not!” Eren snapped his head to face Armin, his eyes wide, “It...it can’t...be him, it can’t!”

“It is. I am sorry Eren...Levi is dead.”

Eren looked at the corpse before resting his head on his knees, his entire body trembling. Armin couldn’t tell if it was shock or grief, but decided not to inquire out of consideration.

Jean walked over, “Armin...get the evidence and the body out of here. To your office, of course.” The coroner nodded and got everything together before he left. Jean turned to the worker, “And you, go to the station. You will need to get interviewed.”

As soon as the worker left, Jean crouched down next to his brother-in-law and placed a hand on his shoulder, “Just let it all out, man. Don’t worry about anything else.”

Jean stayed with Eren, waiting until he stopped crying to get him back to the car.

****  
  


Jean parked the Oldsmobile in Eren’s spot, putting the car in park and pulling the key out of the ignition. He laid back in the seat and sighed, turning his head to see Eren, back slumped and eyes staring off into the distance.

“Eren?”

No response came from the young detective. Just a blink, if that meant anything.

“Eren? Eren!”

This jolted him out of his trance, blinking multiple times before looking at his friend, “Yeah? What?”

Jean raised his eyebrows, “Are...you okay?”

Eren blinked again and shook his head, looking down, “No...I am not…okay. Can I be alone for a little bit?”

Jean glanced from the station to Eren. He sighed and tossed the keys onto his lap, “Alright, man. Come back in when you are ready.”

Eren looked down at the keys as he saw Jean get out of the car, close the door, and walk into the station through his peripherals. He waited a few minutes before looking up and punching the dashboard. He did so over and over again, screaming and shouting, “Mother fucker! You should’ve fucking told me you were going somewhere, you god damn asshole! Why didn’t you fucking tell me! Why! _Why!”_

He stopped, breathing heavily. More tears were falling down, his tongue tasting the salty liquid. He put his face in his hands. _I am sorry. I shouldn’t have left you. I should’ve been fucking stubborn._

Eren began to calm himself down, breathing in and out. Eventually, his heart slowed, and his tears dried up. He straightened his back, turning his head to look at the station.

_Levi was one of the only friends I really had when I joined the homicide division. He cared for me as much as I did for him. He would take the blame for my mistakes. He would always help me and give me pointers. He was like a teacher. And what about his family? He said he had six children, which means more young people to cry at his funeral. Plus his wife, Hange, who was quirky but nice. It will be torture telling them what happened to their father. And this case? How can I finish it without him?_

As he sat there in silence, with all these thoughts surrounding his mind, something important occurred to him.

_Levi had the photo._

Eren’s eyes widened. He bursted out of the car through the door, stumbling onto the asphalt. Getting up, he closed the door shut and sprinted across the street, making cars swerve out of the way, the sounds of blaring horns making no impact on his speed.

His shoes switched from hitting cement to asphalt again as he ran up to the doors of the coroner’s office.

****  
  


Armin was bent over the body of the old detective, checking the marks and prints when the doors suddenly were wrenched open. The coroner’s head shot up to see his friend walking in, “Eren! What are you doing? The autopsy is not over yet!”

Eren looked around, “His jacket, where is it?”

“On the hanger, why?”

Eren reached over and pulled the jacket off of the hook, checking every pocket thoroughly, “Come on, come on!”

Once he realized they were all emptied, he cursed and threw it to the ground. He looked at Armin, “Did he-did-did he have a photo on him?” He stuttered.

Armin frowned at his friend, concerned, “No, none whatsoever.”

“Shit!” The young man shouted before he stopped, his mind running as fast as a bullet, before he snapped his fingers, “The basement!” And he was already out the door.

“What do you-Eren!?” He walked to the doorway to see Eren sprinting across the street yet again.

 

“Did you notify Hange?” Erwin asked Jean, half of a cigarette hanging from between his fingers.

Jean nodded, hands on his hips, “I sent a police officer to tell her. I couldn’t do it, that would be too much for me. And I doubt Eren would. He would probably break into tears and never get it out.”

Erwin shook his head, “Call him back. I will tell her.”

“You sure you can do that?”

“I will try. That reminds me. Where is Eren?”

“He is in the ca-” Jean was interrupted by the exact topic of his sentence dashing past them and down the steps to the basement, stumbling slightly before he landed on his two feet at the bottom.

Quickly he searched the table, sliding papers around and sometimes swiping them off the table completely, “Where is it? Where is it?” He repeated, flipping a folder off the wooden surface.

Once he completely emptied it, he pounded his fists on the table, “Where the fuck is it!” He looked up at the stairs to see Jean, Erwin, and a few officers staring at him, “What?”

Erwin frowned, “Eren, are you okay?”

Eren nodded, “Yeah I am fine!” He pushed the table a bit to the side so that he could run up the stairs, “I need to talk to Connie!”

Reaching the top of the stairs, he turned around, running towards the doors that connect the police station to the Receiving Hospital. The nurse at the front desk was startled by the detective’s sudden entrance. He noticed her as he ran through the doors, “Have to talk to Connie!” He shouted.

He looked at the door numbers, skidding to a halt in front of Connie’s number and opening the door, “Connie!”

The photographer was in the middle of a kiss with his fiance when the detective bursted in, the two lovers looking at him with curiosity as he pointed at Sasha, “You. I need you to leave for a bit.”

Sasha furrowed her eyebrows, “What? No, I am staying by his side until he-”

“Get out, or I will arrest you for obstruction of justice.”

Connie widened his eyes, “Now wait a minute, Ere-”

“No, I have no time or patience for this! Out!”

Sasha glanced at Connie, who shrugged, “It won’t take long, honey.”

The woman sighed and nodded, “Okay.” She made her way to the door, frowning at the detective on the way out. She closed it behind her.

“What the hell is going on, Eren?”

Eren walked up to Connie’s side, “I need to know something. Why did you take pictures of Historia in the first place? How did you take them? What made you do this?”

“Why are you so-”

“Why did you take the _goddamn pictures,_ Connie!?”

Connie looked at his friend, seeing that he was not in the mood for any digressions. He pursed his lips before exhaling and nodding, “Alright, fine! Shit...where to begin? Everything?”

Eren sat down, “Everything.”

Connie glanced up in thought, “It all started when I heard a small rumor that the mayor’s daughter is...a dyke. And I thought that would make a great headline, get a lot of money, you know? So...I followed her around, did snooping.

“A month and a half ago, I followed her to an apartment building, a decent one, nothing she would live in. I found out the room number and decided I would play the waiting game. I went to a nearby building and waited on the roof around the same time I saw her come that one day for about a week. Then she returned one night. I modified my camera a bit, covered the flash. Took a few pictures of their...escapades.”

“And then what?”

“I was getting to that. In the beginning, I was going to sell the pictures to whoever wanted to pay the most. But then I thought about it, about how much of a disaster these pictures could make. I was a mess, not knowing what to do. So I talked to one of my friends, a detective, Marco Bodt. I told him about the pictures, knowing he will make the right decisions. I gave them to him, except for that one I kept. I kept it just in case something happened. Then...the shooting happened a month or less later. That is it.”

Eren stared at the wall the whole time, calming down as he listened to the story. When Connie finished, he nodded, “This other girl...what was her room?”

“It was...308. That’s all I know about her.”

The detective stood up, “Thank you, Connie. My apologies for interrupting your moment.”

Connie shook his head, “Apologize to Sasha.”

Eren looked at the door, nodding, “I will.”

 

Sasha turned her head to see the door open, and her fiance’s friend step out, a regretful look on his face. She frowned at him.

Eren stepped out of the way of the door, holding it open for her, “I am sorry for what I did.”

Sasha’s features softened when he apologized. She said nothing as she walked past him.

He closed the door behind her. Tucking his thumbs into his pockets, he strolled down the hall, eventually reaching the doors that led to the main lobby of the hospital. The detective pushed the door open, looking ahead to stop in his tracks.

In front of him stood Erwin, Jean, and Nile, the latter two sitting down while the former was standing, “Eren...we need to talk.”

Eren glanced at Jean, who simply blinked, “About...about what?”

Erwin sighed, “I think...I noticed you have been very focused on this case. And I think it’s been stressing you out too much. And now with Levi’s death you are acting reckless, and not thinking. I am afraid you will hurt yourself and ruin the case. So...I am ordering you take a leave of absence. A break. An order, not a suggestion.”

Eren frowned at this, “What? But-but who will take over the case? We don’t have anymore homicide detectives if I am gone. And I am not letting it become a cold case.”

Erwin held a hand up, “Eren...don’t worry the case is still going to continue. I have talked to Nile,” He stepped to the side and gestured to the captain of vice, “He said he would allow Jean to take over.”

Eren glanced from Nile to Jean, the latter shrugging helplessly.

“But he doesn’t know everything, he hasn’t spent the time Levi and I had, what would he-”

“He is quite capable of getting up to speed, Eren. Now please, give me your gun and badge. You will get them back once you are done with your break.”

The young detective, looked at Erwin, then at the other two. _Anymore resistance would be fruitless,_ he thought to himself, sighing as he pulled his gun out of his shoulder holster and held it by the barrel to give to his superior. Then he pulled out his badge and handed it over, “How long should I take a break for?”

Erwin shrugged, “As long as you need.”

Eren glanced down before nodding, “Okay,” He said simply before walking out of the hospital, aware that everyone was staring at his exit.

His shoes clapped against the stone sidewalk as he made his way back to his car. He opened the door and got in. Taking his hat off, he placed it in the passenger seat before closing the door and putting the key in the ignition, but not turning it.

Eren grabbed the wheel, staring ahead at the cars as they drove past the parking lot. Silence grew. Eren’s mind was now focusing on one thought.

He reached over and opened his glove compartment, seeing a Colt Detective Special. Grabbing it, he opened slid open the cylinder to see six .38 Special rounds lined up in a circle. He snapped it shut and put it in his pocket before turning the key in the ignition, muttering a certain number.

“Three-oh-eight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you guys for reading! I hope you all enjoyed it. If there are any problems or you just want to leave a comment, do so. I need the criticism and any praise really helps me along.


	14. Lover

**Chapter 14: Lover**

Jean’s eyes followed the blue Oldsmobile as it left the parking lot, sad for his brother-in-law. He was taking over the case now. Him. A vice detective taking on homicide. He wished it didn’t have to come to this. _But the captains said so, so he has to follow. I just wanted to help him with the case, but now I am handling it._

A hand was placed on his shoulder. It felt like it held a strong grip before, but had weakened over the years. “Don’t worry about him. I believe you will do just fine on this case. The fact that you are in vice shouldn’t change anything.”

Jean turned to face his captain, Nile. “Thank you sir. I think I am going to start by talking to the coroner.”

“Good idea. I will be expecting updates.”

“Of course, sir.”

With that, the captain left the vice detective to himself. He tucked his hands into his jacket pockets as he began to cross the street to get to the coroner’s office. All the while he was thinking, _Poor Eren, I probably wouldn’t have taken the case if Nile hadn’t slapped it in front of me all the sudden. He didn’t even give me time to think. Sure, Eren has his problems but nothing that would cause him to be seen as not fit for the job. Maybe I can talk to Erwin, get Eren back on the case. It just seems too dangerous for me. I have a child on the way._

Jean let out a sigh, pushing the doors open to see Armin washing his hands. He turned his head to see the vice detective. “Oh, it’s you. Detective Kirschtein right? I just finished up, I could’ve gotten it done sooner if Eren hadn’t barged in.”

Jean cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah, Jean Kirschtein. Uh, what do you mean? Eren came in?”

“Yeah, strange, I know,” said Armin,  “He came in and asked where the jacket was. I pointed him to the hanger and as he checked it he was muttering stuff like...I don’t know, I wasn’t able to ask him, because all the sudden he dropped it and asked me if Levi had a photo on him when I examined the body. I said that he didn’t. Then he all the sudden shouted ‘The basement!’ and left without saying anything else.”

Jean raised his other eyebrow. _Really? Hmm, strange. Because he ran into the police station and into the basement. That must’ve been what he was talking about. And a photo? I might have to ask him about that later on. But for now…._ “We should focus on the case. Just give me the full autopsy.”

Armin nodded and exhaled. “Alright, well...he was shot through the throat with a .32 ACP round. Cause of death being loss of blood. I am thinking he was shot by a Welrod Sleeve Gun, designed by the British,” He saw Jean opening his mouth, so he held a finger up, “Hold your question, for I am about to give the answer. He was shot once. It would be very difficult to reload a sleeve gun, so that one shot would have to count. It hit the throat, so that was almost a perfect kill shot. The killer could probably have a regular Welrod, but the way the bullet is stuck, the angle, is almost impossible to do if holding a regular one as opposed to a sleeve gun. Continuing on, he was shot at midnight, looking at the blood. And he fell where we found him. He was also stomped on the face once by a size nine shoe, looking at the mark. It knocked him out, and that was when he bled out.”

Jean had his arms crossed, looking at the body as he listened. He looked up when Armin was done. “Anything else?”

Armin shook his head. “No, sadly. I hope what I have given is sufficient enough?”

Jean nodded. “Yeah, I would say so. Thanks, Armin. If anything else comes up, give me a call, alright?”

“Of course.”

Jean nods again before exiting the office, tucking his hands back into his pockets. He walked back to the station, thinking of what to do next. This kept him busy the rest of the way until he reached his desk. Sitting down, he began to think about what to do next. _Eren and Levi didn’t talk to me much. I have nothing else to go on._

He sat in silence, searching his mind for anything else. Anything that might push him in the right direction. Then he remembered.

_The pistols. The ones Levi brought in after Annie’s house blew up. Maybe I can get something from them?_

He got out of the chair and began to walk to the stairs. “Hopefully I can find something,” he muttered to himself.

 ****  


_Connie was right,_ Eren thought to himself as he put his hat back on his head, _this place is just decent._

It was a regular apartment building, slightly shining in the sunlight of Los Angeles. It was about four stories high.

“Which means she should be on the third floor. Three-oh-eight,” he reached into his pocket to feel the cold metal of his firearm. “Let’s get this done.”

He walked into the empty lobby, pressing the up button with his thumb. As he waited, he glanced around to make sure no one was here. _I could get into big trouble for this,_ he thought.

But as the elevator reached the bottom, and he pulled it open, he shook his head.

_It’s my case, I can only finish it._

Eren pulled it closed and pressed the third floor button. The elevator began to ascend. He took out his pistol and opened the cylinder, seeing the same six bullets he saw the last time he opened it. He wondered how far he is going to go to get to the end.

_How many bullets are going to be used?_

_Ding!_

Shocked out of his thought process, he looked up to see that he had arrived. He snapped the revolver cylinder shut and put it in his pocket, pulling the elevator open and stepping out.

“Three-oh-eight,” he repeated. He then began to mutter it over and over again as he walked past the doors, looking at their numbers.

His eyes stopped on it, at the very end of the hall. “Three-oh-eight.”

He looked at the door in front of him. _Wooden. Easy to break down, but that would make noise._

Raising his fist, he hesitated. _Maybe she won’t give me the information. I can get in trouble for this._

He closed his eyes and shook his head. “My goddamn case,” he muttered before rapping his knuckles against the door.

A few moment’s silence passed before the door began to unlock, the sounds of the inner workings and mechanisms going through their processes. It suddenly stopped, then the door opened wide to reveal a tall woman. She was freckled, slightly tanned and had brown hair in a pony tail. Her golden eyes stared down at the young detective, who stared back. She spoke first, “Yeah?”

Eren thought he heard an accent in there, he nodded. “Hello miss, I am Detective Eren Jaeger, homicide. I wanted to know if I could ask you a couple of questions?”

Her eyes scanned him, looking him up and down, then narrowed. “Sure, I guess vhy not. Come in,” she turned around and walked into the room. “Do you happen to have a cigarette, Detective?”

Eren walked in and closed the door behind him, knowing her accent. She was German. He nodded to her question. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out his cigarette case and opened it, holding it out to her.

She picked one and put it between her lips. He took out his lighter and flicked it open, reaching up to light her cigarette. He flicked it shut, putting it away.

The woman took a drag and pulled the cigarette out, blowing smoke out into the air. She glanced at him. “Vould you like a drink, detective?”

He shook his head, walking past her to look around, entering the bedroom. “No thank you, miss. Uhm, my apologies, I forgot to ask your name.”

She cocked an eyebrow, following after him. “My name is Ymir. So...vhat’s a homicide detective vant vith me? I have not done a crime. Vhy are you here?”

Eren walked to the window and saw the spot Connie probably was at on a nearby roof. _That is where the pictures were taken,_ he then turned around and saw the room, _And here is the room._

He looked at the woman. “Excuse me, Miss Ymir. Have you had any...relations with Historia Reiss?”

She crossed her arms.“Historia who? Never heard of her,” she said, turning around and heading to the kitchen, which was also the living room and dining room.

Eren frowned, following her. “Are you sure?”

Ymir twisted around to face him, one hand stamping out her cigarette, the other behind her back and reaching for a knife on the knife rack. “Yes, I am quite sure.”

“Because I know of some pictures of you and Historia Reiss engaging in questi-” Instantly he leaned off to the side, grabbing her wrist as she tried to stab him with a steak knife. He made her stab the knife into a nearby wall. Then he wrenched her fingers off of it and threw her to the side, falling on her back with a grunt.

He stood over her. “Now I have plenty of reason to call the police. You tried to attack a detective.”

Ymir got up, eyes narrowed. “Zere is no need for zat, I vill tell you vhat you need to know.”

Eren nodded. “Then tell me, do you have any relations with Historia Reiss.”

The german woman frowned, nodding as she walked past the detective. “Yes. May I sit down? Zere are no knives in ze sofa, if you vere vondering.”

Eren gave a slight nod. “Go ahead,” He looked around the room, thinking there might be pictures of the two, “So explain it to me. The whole thing.”

“Jawohl, of course. I met Historia...two years ago, at most, vhen I vas jumping from job to job, being an immigrant and such. I helped set up some charity event, like ze tables and chairs.  At zat time, she vas in a relationship vith a man. Forgot his name, but it doesn’t matter. Her and I talked and ve became friends. Good friends, actually. It vasn’t long before I discovered zat her boyfriend vas abusing her. _Ze arschloch._ One day he hit her right in front of me and I decided zat enough is enough. I made sure he vouldn’t hurt anozer girl again. It is funny how easily a man’s fingers can break vhen you take a hammer to zem,” She chuckled, “Anyvay, after zat ve began to see each ozer more frequently. Ve had a lot in common. I vas falling in love vith her. One night, vhen ve vere valking in ze park, I surprised her vith a kiss. And she did not push back. So from zen on, ve vere lovers. She even bought me zis apartment.”

Eren glanced at her from time to time. “Uhm...you know about the pictures, right?”

“Ja, I do. Historia told me about it. I knew how much our relationship should be kept secret, so I did panic. But she told me zat she has it under control.”

“Under control? Did she say-”

A phone ringing interrupted his sentence. Ymir looked at the phone, cocking an eyebrow. “I vill get it.”

She walked over to the counter, reaching over and grabbing the phone from the receiver. She pulled it up to her ear. “Ja?” She nodded slightly, staying silent. Her eyes widened, “Detective?”

Eren looked over, “What?”

“It’s for you.”

Eren raised his eyebrows, standing up and walking up to the German to take the phone from her. He spoke into it cautiously, “Hello?”

It was a distorted man’s voice, “You have been digging deep, haven’t you detective?”

He frowned, “Who is this?”

“Have you checked up on California’s sweetheart lately? I believe she may be having a problem as we speak.”

“Who is _this!?”_ Eren slammed his palm on the counter.

The person hung up, leaving the other line dead.

The detective dropped the phone, sprinting out the door, leaving the german woman confused.

Eren dashed down the hall, skidding to a halt in front of the elevators. He pushed the button multiple times. “Come on, come on!” He shouted, kicking the wall before spotting a door to the stairs.

He pushed it open, immediately descending the stairs, his shoes clapping against the wooden steps. his mind running as fast as a car, thinking about the woman he loved. _Can’t let Annie be the next one, I can’t!_ His mind shouted. _I gotta get to her, I have to!_

 ****  


Annie sighed, flipping through one of the books she found on Eren’s bookshelf, _Wuthering Heights._

“So fucking confusing. Two Catherine Lintons, Linton Heathcliff, what the fuck?” She frowned at the words, “I need to ask Eren about this book.”

As she reached up to put the book back on the bookshelf, she heard the sound of a car pulling up outside.

“Eren is back already?”

She stood up from the couch, slowly walking towards the window and spreading one of the shutters apart. She saw an unfamiliar car with four unfamiliar people walking towards the door, all armed with guns. Her eyes widened. “Shit.” She whispered.

Twisting around, she began to search the house for any weapons she could use. She heard the doorknob turn, then get pulled on, only for the person to realize it was locked.

Annie then remembered that Eren kept a double barreled shotgun on the top of the very bookshelf she at. Quickly she ran past the door back to the living room, hearing what sounded like the butt of a gun hitting the wooden door forcefully.

Annie approached the bookshelf, jumping up to reach for the top, not being able to get it due to her height. She quickly grabbed a chair and pulled it over, stepping up onto it to get the gun and the few shells lying about.

Annie jumped off the chair and got behind the sofa, dropping the shells onto the floor. She pulled down the opening lever before breaking it open, seeing two shells already loaded. She snapped it shut, peering over the couch to see the mobsters finally burst through the door.

The celebrity leaned up out of cover, resting her arms on the couch before she aimed and shot at the first one, hitting him in the head, spattering blood and brain matter all over the wall.

The second one jumped back, getting hit in the arm by a pellet. He then got into cover and rounded the corner, shooting his Tommy gun at the sofa. Feathers flew everywhere, with Annie getting back into cover and waiting, breaking the shotgun open to pull a shell out and put in a new one. She snapped it shut.

The man got back into cover, taking out the magazine and dropping it to the floor as another man came in with a pistol in hand, taking cover on the other side of the doorway to the living room.

Annie prepared herself, leaning up out of cover to aim at the doorway. She waited.

The two mobsters looked at each other after the second one reloaded his submachine gun. They stared each other straight in the eye before the second one nodded. Immediately they ran in, ready to shoot, until they were both blasted backwards by the force of the young woman shooting them with buckshot, blood splattering the walls, caking it red.

Annie got back into cover, waiting for the fourth one.

But nothing came.

Annie peered over her shot up cover, wondering if she had killed him already. She saw the two men dead on the floor, with the first man’s brains all over the wall in the hallway. She slowly stepped out from behind the couch, the double barrel in her hands.

Pressing her back against the wall, she rounded the corner to see the hallway was empty. Her eyes spotted the open door. She took slow steps, aiming the gun from the hip.

She stopped before the door, leaning out and looking to the left. She was about to turn her head when a large hand snatched her hair and lifted her up into the air. She grunted in pain, dropping her gun as she was then being dragged along the floor to the car.

Annie glared up at the smiling giant pulling her along. She grabbed the top of his hand, and used her strength to pull her legs up and wrap around the large man’s arms. He turned his head, surprised as she lifted her right foot and thrust it repeatedly into his face, eventually causing him to drop her to the floor. She hit the ground and got up, running back to the house, he gave chase.

As she reached the doorstep, Annie reached down, grabbed the gun, and twisted around to jump backwards into the house, pulling the trigger on the man. The giants stopped, looking down to see a hole in his abdominal area, blood seeping from the wound. He looked back at the girl with wide eyes before falling back, landing flat on the ground. Dead.

Annie, eyes wide and breath rapid, began to hear the wail of police sirens. She put the gun on the ground and pushed herself up to her feet, bending down to pick it up again.

The young woman walked to the shot up couch and sat down, laying the shotgun across her lap. She leaned back and sighed.

 ****  


Eren swerved past a car, getting his own under control so that he could continue to speed back home, his mind in a rush of panic over the woman he loved. He ran past all the lights, maneuvering around any obstacles in his path.

 _Gotta get to her,_ his mind demanded, _gotta make sure Annie is safe!_

With all of this panic, it was impossible for him to see a car ram into the side of his as he ran through the intersection. His car flew several meters, flipping once or twice until finally setting on the roof.

Eren coughed a few times, looking up to see the ground above him, with his gun lying there, shining in the descending sunlight. He looked down, seeing he was still buckled to the seat.

Groaning in pain, he unbuckled himself, falling straight to the ground on his wounded arm. He gritted his teeth, breathing heavily as he grabbed the gun and began to crawl out of the car.

As he was going through the broken window, he felt his sleeve catch on a shard. He pulled at it, tearing the fabric slightly, before he heard the sound of men walking over. He spotted their feet. _Nice shoes,_ he thought, _too nice for any bystander._

In a quick decision, he dropped his head and hand holding the gun, closing his eyes to feign his own death.

Their steps got closer, crushing some glass, when they stopped.

“He dead?” One of them asked.

Eren kept his breath held, as to not look like he was breathing.

He felt one of their shoes nudge him. He kept still.

“I’d say so. So we did well?”

“We’ll see what Zackly thinks. We could’ve been too messy.”

“Too messy?”

“Yeah. But I don’t think he will be too mad about it. But either way, I am sure he is going to get that one detective boss guy to take care of the new detective on this case. Kirstin, I think his name was?”

“The boss?”

“No the detective that they want to kill.”

The sound of them turning and walking away allowed him to open his eyes to see their backs turned. They were both holding pistols.

Eren aimed his pistol, his hands shaking as he pulled the trigger, taking down the first guy, a cloud of blood erupting from his chest before falling down.

The other guy twisted around. “What the-” Before another word could come out, a bullet already lodged itself between his eyes, blood leaking down his face. His legs crumpled, his whole body following them to the floor.

Eren sighed in relief, dropping the gun before he pushed himself out of the car, tearing more of his jacket off. He slowly pushed himself up, grunting in pain. Once to his feet, he looked around to see people staring at him.

Eren shook his head and took a step forward, his leg stumbling. His hand shot out to steady himself against a pole. “Shit,” He muttered.

Eventually, he was able to push himself away from the pole and limp at a reasonable pace. The people stepped out of the way as he made his way past them. As he moved, he had one thought on his mind.

_Gotta get to Annie._

****  


“So you were able to take them all out by yourself with a double barrel?” The police officer asked Annie, who was seated on the couch.

She blinked at him. “Yes, just me. Why...is that surprising?

“Well, usually-”

“Usually, women only know how to cook and get pregnant? You’d be surprised by the amount of women that can do more than just that. My father taught me how to handle myself. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to see if Er-”

“Annie!”

Instantly, the woman was up, pushing past the officer, the voice shouting her name familiar to her.

“Eren!” She shouted back, stepping outside to see an officer get pushed aside by a bloodied and beaten.

“Annie?” His eyes spotted her, a smile appearing on his face before he fell to his knees, then to the ground, passed out.

The woman sprinted to him, stumbling to her knees. “Eren!” She pulled herself the rest of the way be by his side, turning him over and laying his head on her lap. The journalists were taking pictures of the scene.

She looked up at everyone else. “Someone get an ambulance!”

 ****  
  


_I woke up to sunlight in a lawn chair, seeing a green backyard laid out in front of me, with two small figures running around. Childrens laughter and joy. My eyes had to adjust to the brightness, the two figures eventually forming into a young boy and girl, chasing each other, having fun, like two kids should._

_I smelled something cooking. Meat. Turning my head to the left, I could see a beautiful woman standing by the grill, her blonde hair tied up in the messy bun that she loved. Her head turned to the side, blue eyes acknowledging my consciousness, her lips turning up slightly in a smile as a response._

_She twisted around, her dress twirling with her small body, and walked over. I lifted my arm, and she sat on my lap and nestled her face into the crook of my neck, her cold breath tickling my skin._

_This was the life I wanted. The one I always dreamed of. And I wish I had it right now._

Eren’s eyes opened to the bright light of a hospital room. He blinked a few times until he adjusted to it, seeing Annie resting her head on his legs, now in regular clothing, a white button up shirt tucked into long denim slacks. She was asleep. He smiled, but quickly gritted his teeth and grunted from the shot of pain going throughout his body.

Annie moved slightly, then lifted her head to see Eren awake.

“Hey...you alright?”

Eren nodded. “Yeah...yeah...just a little uncomfortable.”

Annie looked at Eren’s leg. “You were out cold for the whole night. The doctor said that your tibia was broken. ”

“And?”

“It will take around six months to heal.”

“Shit.”

“I was so worried when I saw you. I thought you wouldn’t make it. Also...I heard about Levi...I’m so sorry Eren.”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s not your fault. He will be avenged. He will.”

“I know.”

“So...how did you deal with the mobsters?”

“I killed them with the double barrel you hid on the bookshelf.”

“Double bar- my double barrel? Where did you...how did you find it?”

“What? You seriously think I just sit around all day, reading books?”

Eren opened his mouth to say something back, when the door burst open to reveal Mikasa, looking more worried than ever, running, or quick waddling, in and going to Eren’s side to hug him tightly. “Oh god, Eren I was so worried!”

“Mikasa...you’re cutting off my air supply.”

Eren spotted Jean as he walked in. “Honey, you need to calm down. You might go into labor.”

The detective gently pushed his sister off of him, laughing a bit. “Yeah, Mika, don’t worry, I am fine. See?”

Mikasa looked at him. “You look like hell.”

“I feel like it too. But hey, I am alive,” He turned his head to Annie, “Can you two leave me and Jean alone for a bit. I need to talk to him.”

Annie cocked an eyebrow and looked at Jean before nodding and leading Mikasa out of the room, not before the latter gave Eren a sisterly kiss on the forehead.

Once they were gone, Jean walked up to Eren’s bed, “What did you want to talk about?”

Eren glanced at the door before turning his eyes back to the vice detective, “When I talked to Connie yesterday, he told me that he took pictures of Historia and of this girl one night. The girl’s name is Ymir. Historia has been in a sexual relationship with this girl. And you know that these pictures would ruin her life if they went out there. Connie didn’t know what to do, so he gave them to Marco, thinking he would make the better decision. That is why Marco was killed. But Connie still had one picture, and the last person I know that had it was-”

“Levi.” Jean interrupted.

“Yeah...someone must’ve taken it off of his body. When I was ‘let go’ I decided to go to Ymir’s apartment and ask her some questions.”

Jean raised his eyebrows. “You went off on your own? And why didn’t you tell me of the picture beforehand?”

“We didn’t know who to trust. But now I know that I can trust you. I probably should’ve trusted you before, since you are my brother-in-law and everything.”

“No, it’s understandable, I guess. Is there anything else?”

“Yeah. Someone knew I was at the apartment. They called Ymir’s phone and they told me that Annie was going to get captured. On the way back home, I was in a rush, so I didn’t notice the car that was set up to crash into me. The light for me was green, so it wasn’t an accident. Anyway, I decided that I would, you know...play dead, I guess the correct term is. They came to see if I was dead,” It was then that Eren looked around, as if someone is watching them, “And one of them asked the other of what they thought Darius Zackly would think of it.”

Jean widened his eyes. “Darius Zackly? The chief of police?”

“That’s not all. They also talked about some ‘detective boss guy’. Someone who was going to get rid of the ‘new detective’ on the case. Obviously they were talking about you. I shot them both afterwards.”

Jean looked shocked, taking a few steps away from the bed, “Me? They are going to try to get rid of me? Who could they be talking about? This ‘detective boss’?”

Eren glanced down, “I was thinking the same thing, and I have come to one conclusion,” He leaned in, “It has to be Erwin. And if that is so, then that means Erwin also tried to kill me and killed Levi.”

“That’s a dangerous thing to say Eren.”

“It’s all I got to go on.”

“Well, let’s just keep this between us before we can actually find that out.”

“Is there any evidence to go on?”

Jean looked down in thought, “The killer used a...Welrod...from what Armin told me, a Sleeve gun. But I doubt he would keep it anywhere but up his sleeve. Is there anything else to go on?”

Eren shrugged, “Nothing that I could think of...wait...wait, yeah there is. I was attacked by a guy with a switchblade on my way back with the photo. I was able to wrestle it from his hand. Levi took it after I showed it to him, and I couldn’t find that either. So look for that. Maybe in a drawer in his desk or something.”

“Right now?”

“No...maybe when we know that he is away from his desk.”

“Alright, sounds like a plan. I don’t know what to think of all of this, Eren. I mean, I have a kid on the way.”

Eren nodded, “If you want to back out, I wouldn’t stop you.”

Jean sighed, “No...I am not going to back down from this. This needs to end.”

The door opened to reveal Erwin, peeking his head in and smiling, “Eren, you’re awake.” He pushed the door open to show that Nile was with him as well, “I was worried.”

Eren gulped, sitting straight up, “Yeah...most people were.”

The captain of homicide walked in, stepping up to Eren’s side, with Nile standing a bit far back. Eren nodded to Jean, signaling that now was a good time to check the drawers. Jean nodded and glanced at Erwin before leaving the room.

“You doing good?” Erwin brought Eren’s attention back to him.

“Uh...yeah, I am doing...fine-well, well, I am doing well, I mean.”

Nile looked at the door, “I could’ve sworn I saw Annette Leonhart out there.”

Eren nodded, “Yeah, she is staying with me since her house...you know...blew up.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

Erwin turned his head to Nile, “Oh yeah, Nile, I almost forgot. You still up for the hunting trip?”

Nile cocked an eyebrow at Erwin, before his eyes widened his realization, “Oh, yeah, that...I am sorry, Erwin, but I have some...uh, cleaning up to do in the basement. Cold cases need to get thrown out.”

“Really? Shame...I brought my shoes and everything.”

Nile laughed, his arms crossed, “My apologies, buddy.”

“Oh it’s no matter. I should probably be getting back now. You can stay as long as you like Nile, but I need to put away a few things in my office. See you two.” And with that, he left.

Eren raised his eyebrows, “Shit.”

Nile looked at Eren, lowering his arms, “What?”

Eren turned to Nile, “Listen, I know this is going to sound insane, but I have a feeling Erwin is the one who killed Levi and tried to kill me. I sent Jean up to his office to look for evidence and now I am afraid he is going to kill Jean.”

Nile widened his eyes and nodded, raising his right arm up before running out of the room without any questions.

Eren exhales, relaxing in his bed as Annie and Mikasa returned.

 ****  


Erwin likes to keep clean, so Jean thought it would be easy to find a blade. He walked in, encountering no resistance since the station is mostly empty, only the front desk guy and a few officers were still there. He began to check the drawers, running his fingers through everything, as if it would be hiding somewhere.

Jean pulled open one of the drawers to see the switchblade just sitting there. He picked it up and turned it around in his hands, “This must be it.” _So Erwin is the killer._

Jean looked around and saw a pair of shoes in the corner. _The killer had size nines._ He walked over and picked up one, turning it over to see that it was a size eleven. _That’s strange, I wonder if-_

“What are you doing in here?” He heard from behind.

Jean dropped the shoe and stood up, turning around to face Erwin, standing in the doorway, staring at Jean.

“Why are you here?”

Jean looked at the blade in his hands, before narrowing his eyes at Erwin, “It’s you, isn’t it? You’re the killer!”

Erwin gave him an incredulous look, and was about to say something when he was whacked in the head with a phone receiver, causing a ring to echo throughout the room. He fell to his side, knocked out cold.

Nile stepped over his body, standing in the doorway now. Jean sighed in relief, “Thank you, sir.”

 ****  


Annie looked over her shoulder at the door as she walked in, “Hey, Eren, who was that guy? Why was he in such a hurry?”

Eren smiled at Annie, leaning up to kiss her, “That was Nile, the captain of vice.”

“Oh...is that like the...detective boss?”

Eren nodded, “Yeah it’s like the-” His eyes widened, “Could you repeat that?”

“What? Detective boss?”

Eren then realized that “detective boss guy” applied to other captains as well. He thought of what Nile had said,

_“I have some...uh, cleaning up to do in the basement. Cold cases need to get thrown out.”_

Then he remembered Nile’s strange movement when he ran out of the room. He lowered his arms then raised his right one, as if he had something in his sleeve.

_And the fact that he was so quick to believe what I had said. That means…_

“Oh god…” He muttered.

 ****  


“Thank you, sir.” Jean smiled at his captain, who just stared back at him.

Nile nodded, dropping the receiver and lowering his right arm, “No need to thank me. Listen, Jean...I am sorry…”

Jean frowned, “For what?”

Nile raised his arm to reveal a Welrod sleeve gun in his hand, aimed at Jean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/C: Alright guys! Yeah I know huge cliffhanger. Another thing. Chapter 15 shall be the finale for this whole series. I know it’s shorter-well technically it’s longer since this series has more words. But anyway, I hope you all enjoyed and thank you for reading. Please leave a comment for criticism or praise if you got any.


	15. Truth

**Chapter 15: Truth**

“Eren?”

The young detective was snapped out of his trance by the soft pushing of Annie, who was looking at him, worried.

“Eren, what’s wrong?”

His eyes widened as the realization of who the killer actually was made its way to his head/snapped into place. He turned to Annie. “It’s Nile! Nile is the killer! Oh God, Jean’s life is in danger!”

“What?” Mikasa asked, eyes wide in shock and fear as she clutched her stomach. Eren never really thought of her as one to show these kinds of emotions. _Either it’s her love for Jean coming out, or it’s the pregnancy._

“Annie! I need you to go to the second floor of the police department! Be quick!”

Annie, confused but understanding, nodded and ran out of the room, kicking her shoes off. Mikasa looked at Eren. “Will Jean be okay?”

Eren nodded. “Yeah...if Annie is fast.”

****  
  


Jean held his hands up slowly. His eyes were kept on the traitor in front of him. “It was you all along. You killed Levi...you tried to kill Eren.”

The look in Nile’s eyes were intense as he spoke, “Yes, that’s right. And now, I am going to kill you.”

“Why? Why would you do this, Nile?”

Nile smiled coolly, his thumb gliding across the cold metal of the gun. “To protect the mayor’s reputation. To protect Chief Zackly’s reputation. To protect my reputation. And to stop this case dead in its tracks. Before it can go any farther.”

Jean frowned. “What? Wh-what do you plan to do after you kill me?”

“Well, it’s simple. I plant the gun on Erwin, make him look like the killer and I am a hero. Then I am going to arrange a little accident for Detective Jaeger and his girlfriend celebrity. I can’t have any loose ends, after all.”

Jean took a step back, hands slightly shaking. “Listen, Nile. You don’t need to do this. I am...I am gonna be a father soon.”

Nile narrowed his eyes. “And what difference does that make to me? I’m wasting time.”

He raised his arm, aiming the gun straight at the detective.

“No!”

Nile looked to the right to see a bare foot come swing up to hit his wrist, kicking the gun out of his hand. He grunted and turned to see the celebrity, Annie Leonhart, hook her foot around his and push his face, flipping him onto the ground. She got on one knee over him and raised her fist to bring it down upon Nile’s face. He reached up to grab her neck and squeezed. She punched him repeatedly, over and over again, trying to get him before he could get her.

Eventually, after enough punches, with her knuckles caked in his blood, she felt his grip weaken and eventually let go of her throat as she raised her fist to go again. She placed two fingers on his pulse.

****  
  


Jean, eyes wide in surprise, carefully made his way over to the unconscious body, reaching out with his shoe to nudge him, just to make sure he was out.

“Erm...thank you, Annie.”

She shook her head, “Don’t mention it. Eren told me that Nile was the killer and to run up here before he killed you,” She gave a short laugh, “I guess I got here just in time.”

Jean nodded. “Yeah...yeah, you did.”

Annie nodded in reply. Turning her head she noticed a knocked out Erwin. “He ain’t dead, is he?”

Jean looked at the captain. He got down on a knee and grabbed Erwin’s wrist, pressing his thumb against his veins. After a moment, he shook his head and gently put the arm down. “He’ll be fine.”

Annie nodded. “Good...good. Okay…” She glanced at Nile, “What are we going to do with him?”

Jean crossed his arms, thinking. “Well...” His eyes widened, “I got it! Annie! Go get Eren in a wheelchair and bring him to the interview room. I will take care of Nile and Erwin. Also! Tell Mikasa I am alright. I can _not_ have her worrying anymore than she is.”

“You got it,” She said before getting up and running downstairs.

Jean walked back into the office and grabbed the switchblade, pocketing it before going back out to the two unconscious captains.

****  
  


An hour later, Annie stood outside of the interview room, watching the scene before her with anxious eyes.

Eren was in a wheelchair at one corner of the room, with the homicide captain Erwin standing in another corner. Jean stood by the table, holding the sleeve gun in his hands, twisting it as he stared at the unconscious body of Nile Dok, captain, or ex-captain, of vice, who had his hands cuffed behind the chair.

Eren turned his head to look at Erwin. “Hey, sir...your head alright?”

Erwin rubbed the back of his neck, giving a slight smile. “Yes. I’ve taken worse hits before. Right now, though, I am just overwhelmed by everything that is happening.”

“Sorry for thinking you were the killer.”

Erwin shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I probably would’ve thought the same thing.” He looked at Nile, narrowing his eyes, before he spoke, “So...how is Historia Reiss caught up in all of this?”

Eren sighed. “Well...there were these...pictures...that Connie took. Of her and her lover. It’s my guess that she is the reason that Marco and Miss Carolina were killed.”

Erwin nodded. “And Leonhart?”

Eren looked at the one way mirror, knowing that Annie was behind it, watching them. “Leonhart had two of his henchmen shoot up The Warrior. Why he would do this? Who knows. It wouldn’t make sense since Mina was one of Annie’s best friends. Why would Leonhart want to ruin the relationship between him and his daughter? Anyway, he was done after that, since the only people to attack us were cops...that reminds me, who were the guys that broke into my house?”

Erwin shrugged. “I couldn’t tell you. They weren’t cops this time. I am guessing that they were hired guns, but not from Leonhart,” He looked at Eren, “So why would Nile do this? To his own friends?”

Eren turned towards Jean, who was studying the firearm. “Jean? Would you like to take this one?”

Jean’s head snapped up, his eyes switching between the two of them. “Well...uh, Nile told me a lot, since he was going to kill me. He said they did this because the reputations of the mayor...the chief of police...everyone in the higher ups. And he wanted to stop the investigation cold where it was. And then after that, he explained that he was going to kill me, plant the gun on you, Erwin, and then arrange a little accident for Eren and Annie.”

Eren shook his head, looking at Nile through narrowed eyes. “Is that all? Makes me disgusted to even know him.”

Meanwhile, a police officer walked up to the watching celebrity with two cups of coffee in hand, holding one out to her.

She turned her head slowly, then turned her whole body toward the man, taking the cup. “Thank you,” she said, giving a small smile before turning back to the interrogation.

The officer nodded. “It’s no problem, miss,” he turned to the interview room, “What’s going on here?”

Annie took a little sip of the coffee and sighed before speaking, “The end of corruption...hopefully.”

Erwin opened his mouth to ask another question, until Nile groaned, cursing in pain as he lifted his head. “What the...fuck?”

Eren smirked, rolling his wheelchair forward slightly. “How did you sleep?”

Nile frowned, one corner of his lips turning up, annoyed. “Shutup, kid,” he spat. Looking around, he slowly realized where he was.

Jean pulled the chair across from Nile out, screeching against the stone floor, catching the ex-captain’s attention. The detective sat down in front of him, leaning back as he held the Welrod between his fingers. He glanced from the gun to Nile, his eyebrows turning downward as he spoke with venom in his tone, “You know, Nile...I...I trusted you. You were almost like a father to me...almost. You always made sure I was okay, and asked me if I needed a break when things were bad. Hell, you even asked how Mikasa was from time to time.

“You, me...Marco...we all had a nice relationship. But...that has all been ruined now. Because of you. You let the system corrupt you. You cared more about yourself than your brothers. I’m...you disgust me. It’s revolting to even look at you.”

Jean glanced down at the Welrod before placing it on the table with his hands on either side of it, staying silent for a moment to allow Nile to process everything he just said. Then, once he gave enough time, he sighed.

“Tell me everything.”

Nile cocked an eyebrow.

Jean pursed his lips and nodded, tapping against the metal surface of the table with his ringed finger, the brass clinks echoing throughout the room. He stopped.

“Tell me … everything, _now!”_

Nile laughed. “You’ll have to make me.”

Jean stood from the chair, picking the Welrod up. He began to walk around the table, stopping next to Nile. He placed his thumb and forefinger on the grip at the end of the tube, twisted it clockwise as he spoke, “So tell me, Nile. Where did you come to get one of these? I heard they are really,” he pulled the end part out, placing it on the table, “rare.”

Jean then gripped the locking and cocking lugs, twisting the silencer tube clockwise. “I mean, these are _British_ , after all. Probably very secret. How did you come to master it? You were able to kill Levi in one hit from a nice range.” He pulled the tube off and placed it on the table, leaving just the lugs in between his fingers. There was no bullet in them.

Jean looked surprised. “What? No bullet? Were you tricking me, Nile?”

Nile looked surprised as well, but it was only for a split second before he was smiling. “Of course I was. I wouldn’t actually kill you.”

Jean raised his eyebrows. “Really? That’s funny.” he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small brass bullet. A .32 ACP round, shining in the light. He put it in the small hole in the lug and turned it a bit to fit it in. “I found this inside of it. I just decided I would, you know,” he put the silencer tube back on, “give you a little surprise.”

Nile stared at the gun with fear, his face completely changed, as Jean put the end cap on and twisted it. The detective walked behind the traitor, looking down upon him with disgust, before grabbing his hair, pulling it back so that Nile was looking up at the ceiling, and pressing the barrel against his throat. He spoke with a calmed voice.

“Now…tell me... _everything.”_

Eren looked at Erwin with wide eyes, the captain returning the look. _Is he going to actually shoot him?_ Eren asked himself, looking back at the scene. He decided to intervene, rolling his wheelchair a bit more forward. “Jean...what are you doi-”

“Quiet, Eren!” He shouted while keeping his eyes on the man in front of him, pressing the barrel in harder. “Tell me!”

Nile’s breath was shaking, his eyes wide in fear. He was panicked. “P-p-please, Jean...d-don’t k-kill me...I have ch-children!”

Jean laughed. “Oh, you have _children!_ You know who else has children? Hange! And now, she has to raise them alone because _you_ killed their father!” He pulled the gun from Nile’s throat and pushed the chair down, bringing Nile along with it. Jean stood over him. He held the gun out, pointing the barrel at Nile’s face. “You don’t want to die? Tell me everything! Everything you know!”

Nile nodded his head wildly. “Okay! _Okay!_ I will talk! I will talk!” He repeated.

Jean smirked and grabbed Nile’s tie, pulling Nile up so that the chair was upright. “I knew you’d see reason.” He sighed in relief as he walked back around the table to sit down across from Nile. He placed the gun on the table. “Go ahead.”

Nile’s breathing slowed down until he was back to normal. “It all started when Marco showed me the pictures. He asked me what he should do with them. I told him I would talk to a few people about it. I first spoke to Zackly, who said these pictures should never get out. Then Zackly told the mayor, who told his daughter. Zackly told me the next day that she had it all under control, according to her words. Control was then out of my hands. The only things I heard after that were of the mafia and blackmail. I also heard a few things about Annette.

“Then I was told that the mafia backed out after Eren hunted down and killed two of their men. So it was then left up to me to stop the investigation. I got two new cops with no backgrounds or families to blow up Annette’s house. A while after that, I tried to bring Eren into a trap, but instead I got Levi. So I tried to hire men to capture Annette, and she took them out.”

Jean nodded, looking down at the gun. “Where did you get this?”

“I had some friends in the UK that gave it to me as a gift to have around the house.”

“And the photo you got from Levi?”

“Burnt it.”

Jean exhaled, nodding. He looked at Eren, then at Erwin. “Is there...anything else?”

Nile shook his head. “No...well...I heard that Historia is going to skip town with her lover. They are going to lay low until everything is alright.”

Jean looked at Nile. “When is she going to do this?”

A silence grew in the room as everyone waited for Nile. He sighed before answering.

“Tonight.”

****  
  
  


Jean opened the door, walking out of the interview room. He held it as Erwin wheeled Eren out, then closed it.

Annie gave the cup back to the officer and asked him to leave before approaching them. “We have to stop her. We have to stop Historia now. Tonight.”

Jean looked at the clock. “We can’t. It would be impossible to gather up enough men to storm her estate in the amount of time we have. And besides, who is going to allow us to raid her place?”

Annie smirked. “We don’t need the police.”

Jean cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Eren wheeled himself forward, knowing what she meant. “Annie, no. We can’t use Leonhart’s henchmen to help us. It’s...it’s illegal.”

Annie didn’t falter. “But what Historia has done is completely illegal. She ordered the killing of my friend, your friend...and then us! It’s the only way we can stop her!”

Eren looked at Annie, sighing. He patted his knees. “We can...we can sneak in there.”

Jean nodded. “That sounds like a good idea. But Eren, you shouldn’t come.”

He frowned. “Why not?”

“Well...you can’t walk.”

“I was able to limp back home from a car crash. Also, I was here when this case started. I am going to see it end.”

Jean sighed. “I don’t think you understood me the first time. Let me rephrase it for you: _you can’t walk._ And I am not about to put your stubborn ass on the line because you wouldn’t listen to common sense. But since I know you’re gonna be a hardass, I won’t stop you. You can break every bone in your body, I don’t want to hear about it. You understand?”

“Yeah, I understand...but it’s not stopping me.”

Jean opened his mouth to protest, but then closed it and held his hands up. “Yeah, sure. Whatever you want.”

Eren nodded, looking to Annie. “Annie will also be coming. She is a good fighter and great with guns.”

Annie smiled and grabbed his hand. He squeezed it and smiled back.

Jean studied the two, wondering how they could fall in love with each other in such a short amount of time. He crossed his arms. “Well...we should get ready.”

****  
  
  


An hour later, the four were sitting in Jean’s car, watching Historia’s estate from afar. Jean held a lit cigarette between his fingers. He turned his head and blew smoke out the window. Historia’s estate was more classic architecture than Annie’s more modern estate was. Annie remembered coming over sometimes to talk with her.

But now she was an enemy.

“I only see two guards,” Erwin observed.

“There are probably more inside,” Jean theorized. He turned his body around to look at Eren and Annie in the back. Annie was now wearing shoulder holsters on her casual clothing.

“We will take the two guards out and signal for you two to come out. Then we will split up into teams. Erwin and I will take upper floor, you two take the lower.”

Eren and Annie both nodded.

Jean sighed. “Well...let’s do this.” He opened his door and flicked the cigarette out before stepping on it as he exited the vehicle. Erwin got out and closed his door, looking at Jean, who looked back and nodded. They began to walk towards the estate as Eren and Annie watched in silence.

The guards noticed them instantly as they approached the gate. One of them held a hand out. “Stop. This area is off limits,” the two guards stepped closer to the gate, “no entry.”

Jean glanced at Erwin. “Well, sir, I guess we should just walk back?”

Erwin smirked. “Certainly.”

Their hands shot through the bars of the gate, each grabbing one of the guards. They pulled their faces into the metal bar, banging their heads against it, which knocked them out.

Erwin grabbed one of the bars to open the gate wide open. Jean turned to the car and signaled for the two in there to follow before grabbing one of the guards unconscious bodies to hide behind a bush.

Annie nodded. “Alright.” She got out of the car and walked over to Eren’s side, opening the door and helping him out. She supported him, letting him wrap an arm around her. “You okay?” She asked.

Eren looked at her and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

Annie smiled. “Okay. Let’s go,” she said, helping him as they made their way to the entrance.

“So...you two used to be friends, right?” Eren asked, remembering what she told him at the ball.

Annie looked ahead solemnly. “Yeah...she was so nice to me. She came to The Warrior a few times to see me perform. I visited her a few times as well. I told you that she gave me a call when Mina was killed. Little did I know that she was the reason it happened.”

“Annie-”

“No...no...it’s fine. Let’s just get this over with.”

They saw the door opened, with Jean standing in front of it, waiting for them. He held a finger against his lips.

He whispered to them as they approached. “Just be quiet. We don’t know how many guards are here. Like I said,” He closed the door as the two entered the foyer, “You two stay down here. Erwin and I will go upstairs.” He pointed at the spiral staircase, which Erwin was slowly ascending, gun at the ready.

Annie nodded. “You got it.” She pulled her gun out of her holster with her free hand.

With that, Jean nodded and followed Erwin up the stairs. Annie helped Eren sit down. “You feeling good?”

Eren smiled. “Yeah.”

She smiled back. “Watch my back.”

“I will, Miss Leonhart.”

She stood up and walked to the corner leading to the main room. It was set up with the second floor looking down onto it, giving a good view for guards if there were any up there.

Annie looked at Eren, who nodded to her. She nodded back before rounding the corner, holding her gun out, ready to shoot.

It was empty except for the long table with chairs lined up.  

She looked up at the second floor to see Jean and Erwin. The latter pointed to the rooms before they split up to search the ones upstairs.

Annie walked back to Eren, helping him up to his feet. “Come on, we need to search the other rooms.”

“What about the main room?”

“She uses it as a dining room, apparently.”

As Jean and Erwin checked the bedrooms and bathrooms, the couple downstairs checked out the kitchen.

Nothing.

They exited the kitchen and checked the living room.

Nothing, still.

Jean approached them as they exited the living room. “Erwin told me to help you guys.”

Annie nodded and gestured to the door across from them. “Take a look in there.”

The vice detective nodded to her and turned around, walking towards the door. He took cover next to it and reached out to grab the knob. He tried to turn it, but it was locked.

He frowned and looked at Annie. “Hey, do you know how to pick locks?”

Annie cocked an eyebrow.

Jean gestured to the door. “Could you?”

She nodded and sat Eren down. She then kneeled in front of the lock, pushing a fringe of her hair behind her ear. She looked up at Jean. “Got anything I could use? I forgot my bobby pins.”

Jean glanced at the wall in thought before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the switchblade.

She smiled and took it. “This’ll work.”

The blade shot out. She looked at it, admiring it, before stabbing it into the keyhole. She jerked it around and twisted it side to side, eventually hearing the _click_ that told her she was successful.

Annie pulled the blade out and opened the door for Jean.

He nodded and walked in, gun ready, realizing that he was in the study. His eyes studied the books on one of the shelves. He then turned around.

Bang!

Jean flew back, dropping his gun and slammed against the wall behind him, clutching at his abdomen. His head turned up to see who shot him.

A small blonde girl in a white dress stood behind the desk, holding a nickel plated Browning Hi-Power. Smoke emitted from the barrel, disappearing into the air.

Annie got into cover by the door, gun held up, with Eren pulling himself closer to look inside, ignoring the pain in his leg. He leaned against the open door and pulled his gun out.

“Don’t come any closer! !” A particularly soft voice shouted.

Annie knew the voice. “Historia?”

“Stay away A-Annie! I will kill him, I swear!” She repeated.

Eren glanced up at Annie. He spoke, “Historia! Please put the gun down so that we can all talk about this!”

“There’s nothing to discuss! Don’t come in! I will kill him if you do!”

“I highly doubt you would do that.”

“You don’t know me!”

Eren sighed, but his ear picked up some whispering.

“No…” He heard Historia mutter.

Eren poked his head out to see the desk to the left, around a corner, a barrel pointing out from the corner at Jean, who was breathing heavily. He turned his head to see Erwin standing in front of the door, looking to Eren. He turned back to Historia.

“Historia! If you allow Erwin to come in and take Jean out to get help, we can have a peaceful discussion. No guns!”

He heard silence, the barrel shaking slightly. More whispering. She relaxed.

“All...alright!”

Eren looked to Erwin, who pulled his gun out and gave it to Annie. He slowly walked in, crouching down to grab Jean’s collar and pull him out.

Once the two were out, Erwin went to the nearby phone to call an ambulance. Eren looked back into the room. “I am going to slide my gun in! Then I am coming in!”

He placed his gun on the ground and pushed it into the room, hearing it slide against the wooden floor before Historia grabbed it, as well as Jean’s gun, and put it on the desk.

“I’m coming in now!” He warned, pulling himself inside.

Once he got in view of Historia, he could see her lover, Ymir, standing next to her. Historia’s eyes were streaming with tears. He stopped in front of the desk and leaned against a wall, holding his hands up.

Historia aimed her gun at him. Her hands were shaking, gritting her teeth. She then saw a tan hand place itself on top of the gun, pushing it down slowly. “Put ze gun down, Historia. He is unarmed.”

Historia turned her head up to the taller woman. “But Ymir-”

_“Historia.”_

The girl held the gun for a moment longer, but then dropped it and gave it to Ymir.

Ymir placed the gun on the desk. She turned her head to look at Eren. “Go ahead, detective, ask her your questions.”

Eren nodded and looked to Historia, who sat down behind the desk, trying to wipe her eyes with her palm. He spoke calmly and with care, “Historia...how did you get the Leonhart family to help you?”

She shook her head, sniffling. “I didn’t...that was my father, that wasn’t me.”

Eren cocked an eyebrow. “Alright...why would you allow the gangsters to attack the party at the Palladium?”

She looked at him, confused, pushing some hair out of her face. “Wh-what? What do you mean?”

Eren glanced at Annie, who was looking at him, just as confused as Historia. “Well...the same gangsters that attacked the Palladium were the ones that attacked The Warrior. I thought you would know about it.”

Historia’s eyes widened. “What? I wasn’t in control of those gangsters. I knew about the Warrior, but I didn’t know those were the same men at the Palladium. B-but if I was in control, Marco and Mina would still be alive. I would’ve paid them off.”

Eren frowned. “Then who was in control of the gangsters? Both Ymir and Nile said that you were in control.”

Historia looked up at Ymir, then back at Eren. “I told her I had it under control. What I meant by that is-”

“Your father had it under control,” Annie realized as she walked into the room, unarmed.

Eren looked at Annie. “But Nile said that-”

“That she had it under control, yeah. But who told him that?”

Eren’s eyes lit up. “Zackly…”

Historia’s eyes widened more, shocked. “So that means-”

Annie turned her head to Historia, nodding. “There were two scapegoats for this whole thing. Nile,” she pointed at the mayor’s daughter, “and you.”

Historia shook her head. “No...no no. My father would never let that happen. My father loves me.”

Annie sighed. She gestured to Ymir, who was holding Historia’s hand. “What she gives? That is true love. Your father, on the other hand, is only using you to get out of trouble. Those photos would’ve ruined him. And now they are all gone.”

Eren spoke, “So...Historia was only pulled into this because-”

“She fell in love with a girl. With a woman. Nobody would have allowed that.”

Eren nodded, understanding everything. “So why were you trying to skip town?”

Historia looked at Eren. “My...my father told me to. He said things were getting too hectic.”

“Why are there only two guards here?”

“My dad told them to leave, as I wouldn’t be needing them.”

Annie shook her head. “It’s to make you look guilty. If you had guards here, it would look like you were coming back, like you weren’t running away from it all. The mayor and the chief of police are only looking out for themselves. Historia...you need to help us prove that they are guilty.”

Historia stared at Annie, slowly shaking her head. “I-I can’t! He is my father!”

Annie raised an eyebrow. “Really? Because your father would do it easily. He _is_ doing it. Please, Historia. Help us.”

The girl looked down, unsure of what to do.

_Bang!_

A window shattered, glass spraying everywhere, and a bullet hit the wall next to Historia’s head. Ymir pulled her down.

Erwin ran in. “The guards are back!”

Annie’s eyes narrowed. “The mayor probably sent them. To finish the job. You!” She pointed to the German woman. “Ymir, right? How good are you with a gun?”

“Good enough.”

Annie nodded and grabbed the Browning before handing it to her. “Then help us! Historia, you stay here with Eren.” She tossed Eren’s gun back to him, he caught it.

Erwin looked at Annie. “I’m gonna get Jean in here. Give Historia his gun.”

Annie grabbed Jean’s gun and gave it to Historia. “Sit by Eren, defend yourselves if you need to.”

Erwin pulled Jean in, laying him down next to Eren and Historia, before he, Annie, and Ymir ran out of the room.

The sounds of screaming and shouting ensued as Historia looked down at Jean. “Sorry for shooting you.”

Jean smirked. “It’s not big deal. I was shot in Germany.”

She smiled, put the gun down, and ripped the lower part of her skirt. She wrapped it around his wound. “That should help.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She grabbed the gun and looked at Eren, who had it held out, ready to shoot. She mirrored what she did, albeit with shaky hands.

 

Meanwhile, Annie took cover under the window left of the door, Erwin took the other and Ymir decided to go upstairs.

She peeked up out of cover, seeing at least a dozen men outside, armed with pistols, submachine guns and shotguns.

Getting back into cover, she reached up and broke the window with her gun, the glass falling outside. Then she waited, counting in her head.

_Three...two...one!_

She leaned out of cover, aimed, and shot before ducking back into cover, as a hail of gunfire was heard.

Erwin got out of cover and shot, the gunfire now being directed upon him. He got down, turning his head to see Annie. “Where’s Ymir?”

Suddenly they heard a rifle shooting from upstairs, followed by the sound of a man crying in pain before his death.

****  
  


Ymir pulled the lever on the rifle, a .44 Winchester round ejecting from the gun. In her hands she held a Winchester rifle 1873, which she found in the closet of the bedroom she was in. A box of cartridges sat next to her. She heard the gunfire get directed towards her.

She developed a little strategy in her head, and hoped the other two would get it. She would shoot, getting the attention of them. Then one of the other two would shoot, the attention coming back to them.

The gunfire then stopped going on her. She leaned out of cover, aimed, and shot, quickly pulling the lever and aiming once again to shoot. She got one guy in the chest, and another in the leg. She got back into cover, wondering if any help would arrive.

 

Annie pulled the trigger, hitting a man in the head. She, along with Erwin and Ymir, had so far taken down half of the force. As she heard Ymir shoot, she pulled out of cover and aimed when she all the sudden felt a spike of pain traveling down her arm. She fell down, seeing that a bullet was lodged into her shoulder.

_Shit._

“Annie!” She heard Erwin shout.

“I’m fine...fuck...just keep going!” She switched the gun to her other hand and got back into cover, ignoring the pain as best as she could.

Then she heard the sirens. Police sirens.

“Police! Hands up!”

They heard more gunfire. Erwin and Annie got out of cover and shot at the gangsters, who were being attacked on all sides. On one side, a couple of officers shooting from behind their car. On the other side, a German, a celebrity, and the captain of homicide shooting from the house of the mayor’s daughter.

 

Once the gangsters were either killed or incapacitated, Erwin walked out with his badge held in his hand. “I am the Captain of Homicide! Don’t shoot!”

The police officers looked at him, confused. “Hello, sir. What happened?” One of them asked.

“We were attacked by gangsters because Historia Reiss has some very important information regarding the mayor of this city.”

“The mayor? But-”

“I will explain once everything is done. For now, I need an ambulance, as I’ve got a wounded detective and a wounded celebrity.”

One of the officers ran to the car, getting on the radio and calling in for more officers and an ambulance. Erwin definitely had a story to tell.

_**The Next Day** _

Annie readjusted her sunglasses, her eyes set on the scene in front of her. Police were surrounding a government building, and two officers were leading someone out of it. Mayor Rod Reiss. They put him into the backseat and closed it. He was blabbering the whole time, trying to get himself out of it, meanwhile photographers took many pictures, probably going to be one of the biggest headlines as of recently.

“So how were they able to convince everyone that the mayor and chief of police were corrupt?” She asked, turning her head to the passenger seat.

Eren, also wearing sunglasses, smiled and looked at her. “Well, when not only the mayor’s daughter says he is bad, but the Captain of Homicide and a couple of detectives, people are more inclined to believe them. Historia has a streak of being honest, and Erwin is a very good captain, so his reputation proceeds him. They were able to get Nile to talk again too, so he outed the chief of police. Meanwhile, the Mayor has broken all the promises he made when he was elected.”

Annie nodded. “So...how long will they be getting?”

Eren shrugged. “Let’s see...we got conspiracy to commit murder, murder of many people, including two detectives and an expectant mother, vandalism, assault, attempted kidnapping, blackmail, home invasion, plus a few more? I would hope for life.”

“It’s a shame Historia had to out herself as a queer.”

“She knew the risks. Besides, if people don’t like it, it’s not her problem right?”

Annie smirked. “Exactly. So...shall we get back home?”

Eren grinned in turn. “I was told I needed bedrest.”

And with that, they drove off, ready to start their new lives together.

_**One Week Later** _

“We are gathered here on this day to say farewell to Detective Levi Ackerman, and to commit him into the hands of God.”

Eren looked down at his dress shoes, unable to turn his head up at the person he knew as a dear friend. All he could do was listen to the organ playing and the priest talking. He was holding Annie’s hand. She rubbed her thumb across the surface of his hand

“He was a veteran, an officer, a detective. He was a caring father of six and a loving husband. And a good friend to many.”

He could hear cries to his right, where he knew the family sat.

“I would like to invite a few close friends of the deceased to talk of this wonderful man.”

Eren shut his eyes, exhaling heavily. He heard Erwin’s voice. “I will volunteer.” Eren heard him walk up the steps to the front, and he began to speak, “When I first met Levi, he was an officer, protecting a scene. I was a detective then, and I wouldn’t have guessed that this little man, who at the time was a month out of the army and about to be a father, would become my partner in a couple of years. A few years later I was captain, and he ran under me. I have never seen a detective so devoted to his work. He was amazing. Probably one of the best. He never seemed to do it for the publicity, which is what most detectives seem to hunger on, or even for the honor. He did it to support his family and keep the streets safe for them. He will be missed. Now, I want to invite someone who was close to Detective Ackerman for the last year or so. His partner, Detective Eren Jaeger.”

Eren opened his eyes, looking down at his army uniform that he decided to wear. He had never worn it after coming back home. But to honor his friend, he thought it would be right.

He knew all eyes were on him. He looked up to see Annie, dressed in her funeral attire, standing up, ready to help him.

Annie supported him up the steps, and stepped to his side as he grabbed the stand to keep him on his feet. He looked briefly to Annie, who was ready to help him in case he fell.

Eren reached up and adjusted his cap before taking a deep breath and looking down. He brought another thing he never thought he would wear again.

The Medal of Honor, shining in the light.

Looking back up, he realized he didn’t know where to start. He looked down at his hands.

“Levi is...Levi was a good man. He was. But...he was also very sarcastic. A know-it-all. And,” he chuckled slightly, “a clean freak. Whe-when I first met him, it was the same way he had met Erwin, I was keeping people away from a scene. Except...he walked straight up to me, pointed down at my shoes, and said ‘Take a small break to get those cleaned’. I looked down, and there were a...it was only a few specks of dirt stuck to my shoe. Hardly noticeable to anyone, but Levi, well…. The funniest part was that he actually got a replacement for my spot so that I could go get them cleaned.” Everyone laughed, some more than others. He smiled, took another deep breath, and continued.

“When I first became a detective, I was...I was scared. New job. New people to work with. I didn’t really know what I was doing. Levi saw that in me, and instead of telling me to grow a pair or be a man, he sat me down at my desk and told me that he was the same way when he first became a detective. He said he would be willing to answer any question I had at any time. And...he gave me a smile. Not a big one, just...just one to let me know that everything will be alright.”

He sniffed, glancing down to see Hange in the first row, with a young adult, a couple of teenagers, and three small kids, all of them sad and in tears. He reached up to wipe one of his eyes, seeing his hand was slightly moist. He blinked a few times before he continued.

“He was...I wish I could tell him how much he…he helped me,” Eren closed his eyes and turned his head down, “I wish I could joke around with him...one last time. I wish I could...thank him...for saving my life by giving up his own,” he gritted his teeth and gripped the stand, his knuckles turning white, “He was...to me, he was...a great teacher, a fantastic partner, and...a very dear friend. And he will be missed.” His voice cracked a little. “Th...thank you.”

As he was led back to his seat by Annie, he began to cry. As he sat down, he held his head in his hands and sobbed, the tears streaming down his face onto his palms.

He felt a hand on his back, rubbing it up and down. And he realized.

He would always have Annie by his side.

****  
  


“Wheel me up to them.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

Annie nodded and pushed his wheelchair forward, approaching Levi’s family after the funeral as they stand outside of the church. Hange looked down at the detective, smiling faintly and nodding to him. Her words shook as she spoke, “Thank you for your kind words.”

Eren shook his head. “It was nothing,” he looked to see the young adult, the oldest daughter of the family, rocking the youngest child to rest, “I never really got to meet your children, have I?”

She shook her head. “No...do you want to meet them?”

“Uh, not now...maybe another time. I am free for the next six months due to this leg.”

Hange nodded, crossing her arms. “Well...I should get going back home. It’s almost dinner time and...these kids need to eat and rest.”

“Are you sure you can cook in the state you are in?”

“No...no...my eldest daughter, Petra...she offered to cook.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah,” she stopped and looked behind Eren, “Looks like you got some visitors. I am going to go. It was good talking to you.” And she left.

Annie turned Eren around to see Historia Reiss standing at the entrance to the yard, dressed in black, a first time for her. She gave a smile as she walked up. “Hey.”

Eren smiled back. “Hey. You’re late for the funeral.”

“Oh I wasn’t coming for that. I never knew the detective, so it would be disrespectful of me. I just came here to thank you. For helping me. I wouldn’t be here if you two hadn’t pushed me to tell the truth about my dad. So...thank you. I never got the chance to do that.”

“So how are you and Ymir doing?”

“Oh, we’re doing fine. We got the estate repaired so now we live together there.”

“And the people who are against it?”

“It’s my life. If they want to chastise me, they can. But I will still be charitable and be the person that Los Angeles knows me to be.”

Annie nodded. “Good. We are here to help if you need it.”

“Thanks. Anyway I should get going. See you two.”

She waved to them as she turned around and left.

“Well...let’s get home.” Eren looked up at Annie.

“Alright.”

As she wheeled him back to the car, he looked up at her. “So...are you going to go back into your career?”

Annie glanced down at him. “Well...The Warrior is ready to open again, and my estate is being rebuilt, but...what do you think?”

Eren smiled.

“We still need our Leonhart.”

 

_**The End** _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well guys, that’s the end of One Dead Broad, One Dead Cop. It was fun to write and I hope you enjoyed reading it. I do have a good amount of people to thank. I would like to thank Insomniatic Titan (or ask-sane-belarus), ghastmine, Nakamatoo, Dorminchu, and Euregatto for helping me as I wrote this story. They are friends of mine on tumblr who join me in Google Docs sessions to talk with me as I write. I would also like to thank you guys for reading this. I enjoyed all of the predictions you guys made.
> 
>  
> 
> Now, for further news. I have already started on a special series. Yes it has Ereannie, but I hope to focus more on other ships as well. It is a crossover and you will find out with what when I release it. Until then, au revoir, mon amis!

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked what you read, please comment or do whatever you can to show support. If something is wrong, tell me. For example, if my historical accuracy is wrong, or I misrepresent somebody. 
> 
> Also, posting may be slow, as, like I said, I still need to write the story. And school gets in the way. Thank you for your patience.
> 
> I have a tumblr: http://freelance7.tumblr.com/
> 
> I hope you enjoyed. Thank you for reading!


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